ATLANTA, Sept. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- EthicAd, a nonprofit organization devoted
to improving public health through consumer education, announces the launch of
a new FDA Web site created to help the general public better understand
direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription medications. The site,
"Be Smart About Prescription Drug Advertising," is hosted by the FDA's Center
for Drug Evaluation and Research and was developed by the FDA in partnership
with EthicAd. For details, visit www.FDA.gov/CDER/ethicad/index.htm or link
to the site via FDA's homepage, www.fda.gov.
Michael S. Shaw, M.D., executive director of EthicAd, notes that the
primary goal of the new site is to help the public obtain accurate,
science-based information about prescription drugs and to understand the role
and nature of DTC advertising.
"People are often confused about DTC advertising, which is one of the most
controversial areas of pharmaceutical marketing," Shaw says. "FDA's new Web
site helps clarify the issues by outlining the different types of DTC
advertising, explaining what information people should expect to see in DTC
ads, and what additional information they should seek out about advertised
products."
The easy-to-navigate site includes a practical "Ask Yourself" checklist
summarizing information consumers should obtain in order to have knowledgeable
conversations with their physicians about advertised products. The new Web
site also includes a section for public feedback, which will be used to shape
the direction of future FDA consumer-oriented initiatives.
"We share the FDA's commitment to developing innovative and relevant
education programs," Shaw says. "By helping consumers obtain factual and
reliable information about prescription drugs and have empowered conversations
with their healthcare providers about treatment options, EthicAd and the FDA
hope to improve individual patient outcomes as well as improve the public
health at large."
EthicAd is a volunteer nonprofit organization whose goal is maximizing the
public health benefits of DTC advertising by promoting the development of ads
that provide substantive, understandable and reliable information about
pharmaceutical products. The organization was founded by noted heart surgeon
and Congressional Gold Medal recipient Dr. Michael E. DeBakey. EthicAd does
not receive any funding from the pharmaceutical industry.
CONTACTS: FDA Division of Drug Marketing, Michael Shaw, M.D.
Advertising & Communications (DDMAC) EthicAd
(301) 796-1200 (404) 503-2703
SOURCE EthicAd
FDA Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising & Communications (DDMAC),
+1-301-796-1200; or Michael Shaw, M.D., of EthicAd, +1-404-503-2703
