American Medical Association backs prescription drug ad ban
 

CHICAGO (AP) ? The American Medical Association on Tuesday called for a ban on direct-to-consumer ads for prescription drugs and implantable medical devices, saying they contribute to rising costs and patients' demands for inappropriate treatment.

Delegates at the influential group's policy-making meeting in Atlanta voted to adopt that as official policy as part of an AMA effort to make prescription drugs more affordable. It means AMA will lobby for a ban.

"Today's vote in support of an advertising ban reflects concerns among physicians about the negative impact of commercially driven promotions and the role that marketing costs play in fueling escalating drug prices," said Dr. Patrice Harris, an AMA board member.

According to data cited in an AMA news release, ad dollars spent by drugmakers have risen to $4.5 billion in the last two years, a 30 percent increase. Other data show prices on prescription drugs have climbed nearly 5 percent this year.

"Patient care can be compromised and delayed when prescription drugs are unaffordable and subject to coverage limitations by the patients' health plan," Harris said in the news release.

The pharmaceutical industry opposes the AMA's stance. Direct-to-consumer ads aim to provide "scientifically accurate information to patients so that they are better informed about their health care and treatment options," said Trish Stow of the trade group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

The ads also encourage patients to visit their doctors' offices "for important doctor-patient conversations about health that might otherwise not take place," Stow said.

The AMA will evaluate the new policy in the coming weeks to determine how to proceed with seeking a ban.

American Medical Association backs prescription drug ad ban

Pharmaceutical ads should be banned and also advertising of OTC drugs and homoeopathic resources. This would include Youtube.

However, it is a freedom of commercial speech issue -- for that reason most likely a no starter.

Perhaps as constitutional remedy, there could be vetted press releases (FDA administered) or other (technical journal?) information available to allow public visibility to all pharmaceutical and OTC drugs and homoeopathic resources.

You have to balance the public's right to be informed with the manipulative marketing abuse within the pharmaceutical industry.

Having the FDA decide what we are and are not allowed to know about medications and treatments would be perfectly wonderful. . The FDA has proven over and over again that they are utterly competent and have no agendas at all........







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The drug ads are THE scariest shit on tv. LOL Images of happy people walking in a field of flowers - while the voiceover tells you you may DIE because of several side effects. LOL What a fucking joke. Fear + profit + a highly medicated (and therefore compliant) population. The Gov't LOVES this and it will not change.

Oh, and stop running all those Viagra ads at 3 in the afternoon, too. "Daddy, what's 'erectile dysfuncion'?"

I have found some useful drug information from legitimate medical websites and government health department/ministry websites -- my Doctor has validated the findings and prescribed some of those drugs.

But drug marketing ads on TV or Youtube particularly infomercials, MLM schemes or crackpot reports are a public menace.

http://static1.squarespace.com/stati...1423600595355/

So are these sort of ads

Time for an overhaul of both FDA and CDC

I think you are right that they will not be stopped in the US, far too corrupt