E-DRUG: New Canadian report on DTCA
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Here is a news release about a report just released by the Health Council of
Canada on DTCA.
Full report posted at:
http://healthcouncilcanada.ca/docs/papers/2006/hcc_dtc-advertising_200601_ev
6.pdf
Health Council paper finds no evidence to support direct-to-consumer
advertising of prescription drugs
Toronto, Jan. 30, 2006
In the interest of patient safety and public health, the government should
curtail direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs,
concludes a paper prepared for the Health Council of Canada and released
today. The paper, entitled /Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Prescription
Drugs in Canada: What Are the Public Health Implications?, was written by
University of British Columbia researcher Barbara Mintzes, who reviewed
existing research to assess whether such advertising improves patient
outcomes or patient safety.
There is no reliable evidence that DTCA improves patient compliance in
taking medication or leads to more appropriate early diagnosis of
under-treated conditions, or prevents hospitalizations and serious disease
consequences, said Mintzes, adding that higher exposure to DTCA results in
increased requests for prescription medications.
The paper, available at the Health Council of Canada;s website
<http://www.healthcouncilcanada.ca/>\), examines the current restrictions on
direct-to-consumer advertising, considers the arguments for maintaining,
tightening or loosening the regulations, and surveys how other countries
have approached the issue.
The analysis will inform the Council;s position on the issue, which will be
detailed in the Council;s second annual report to Canadians. The report will
be released in Ottawa Feb. 7th. Consumers are entitled to information, but
the question is: will conveying that information by expanding direct ads
really assist patients, said Council Chair Michael Decter.
Canada¹s Food and Drugs Act contains a broad prohibition on advertising
prescription-only drugs to the public. However, changes in the
interpretation of this legislation have led to two forms of drug advertising
in Canada: ³reminder ads² that include only brand names but no health
claims; and ³help-seeking ads² which discuss conditions without referencing
a particular product. There is no requirement to provide any information on
the health risks, the cost of the product, or how it compares with similar
drugs. Exposure to US advertising has also increased dramatically since
1997, when the US relaxed its broadcast advertising regulations.
The paper looks at several ads that have helped define the debate on this
issue while raising concerns about public health implications. Bob Nakagawa,
Chair of the Health Council¹s working group on drug policy, said the concern
is that direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs could trigger
avoidable harm by stimulating unnecessary and inappropriate medicine use
while often failing to provide balanced appraisals of the medicine;s value.
There have been three major consultations since 1996 on changing the
existing legislation and opening Canada up to wider use of DTCA. In 2004,
the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health published a report, ³Opening
the Medicine Cabinet², which called for better enforcement of current
prohibitions on industry-sponsored prescription drug ads and the creation of
independent, publicly financed drug information.
Mintzes said that Canadians need access to information about new drugs and
how they compare to older treatments. ³But the information must be impartial
and in the patients¹ interest, and should be integrated into health care
services,² she said.
Mintzes makes the following recommendations:
1. Full direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs should not be
introduced to Canada. The recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing
Committee on Health¹s 2003 report on DTCA, ³Opening the Medicine Cabinet²,
should be supported and implemented.
2. Canadians need independent, publicly financed information and education
on drugs and other treatments.
3. Canadians need better enforcement of regulations governing both
physician-oriented promotion and DTCA.
4. Close the loophole in the Food & Drugs Act (Clause C.01.044), which was
intended to permit comparative price advertising, but has allowed ³reminder
advertising² to spread.
5. Review cross-border broadcast ad policy. Canada should study whether the
longstanding policy of ³split-run² magazine publications, which omit
prescription drug and tobacco ads, could be replicated in broadcast media.
For more information about the Health Council of Canada, visit
<http://www.healthcouncilcanada.com/> or subscribe to the Council newsletter
at http://hcc-ccs.com/newsletter.aspx.
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Joel Lexchin
--
Joel Lexchin MD
121 Walmer Rd.
Toronto ON
Canada M5R 2X8
Tel: 416-964-7186
Fax: 416-736-5227
E mail: joel.lexchin@utoronto.ca