FDA Policy/General

FDA Deceptive Ad Recognition Research Advancing

FDA has asked the Office of Management and Budget to clear two studies to determine the ability of consumers and healthcare professionals to detect and report deceptive presentations in prescription drug promotion. The studies will focus on two different health conditions.

CDER’s Office of Prescription Drug Promotion says that healthcare professionals will view mock drug Web sites targeted toward doctors, and consumers will view mock consumer-focused Web sites. “The goal will be to keep the healthcare professional and consumer-targeted Web sites as similar as possible, but to include content that is appropriate for the larger audience,” a Federal Register notice says.

The notice says that the ability of consumers and healthcare professionals to identify deceptive prescription drug promotion has important public health implications. If they are unable to identify deceptive promotions, it says, consumers may ask their doctors to prescribe specific drugs that they would not otherwise request. And likewise, healthcare professionals who are unable to identify deceptive promotion may prescribe specific drugs that they would not otherwise prescribe.

“On the other hand,” FDA says, “if consumers and healthcare professionals are able to identify deceptive promotion, they may appropriately discount or disregard such information in their medication decisions, and perhaps even report deceptive promotion to appropriate government regulators who can take corrective action.”

The notice contains comments FDA received on its initial 1/2017 publication of the research proposal and the agency’s responses to the comments.

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Gupta Raises Concerns About Overton’s Independence, Ideology

Overton Confirmation Remains Uncertain After Senate Hearing

FDA Classifies Boston Scientific Imager II Catheter Recall as Class I

FDA Approves Gazyva for Childhood-Onset Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome