E-drug: New HAI Europe report on advertising medicines
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Dear E-drug list readers,
HAI Europe today released a report highlighting the issues involved
in the current EU Commission's proposal to allow pharmaceutical
companies to provide information about some specific medicines
directly to consumers in the region. The publication is based on the
presentations made at the HAI Europe/EPHA symposium on the
issue held last January in Brussels. Below you will find the press
release that accompanied the document's launch.
Copies of the full report are available from the HAI website at:
http://www.haiweb.org.
With best wishes,
Lisa Hayes
Communications Director
HAI Europe
Jacob van Lennepkade 334-T
1053 NJ Amsterdam
The Netherlands
tel: + 31 - 20 - 683 3684
fax: + 31 - 20 - 685 5002
e-mail: lisa@hai.antenna.nl
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9 April 2002
New Report Defines the Debate on Consumer Drug Advertising in
Europe
(Amsterdam) Today Health Action International (HAI) Europe
launched a report that defines the debate in Europe over the
direction of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising (DTCA) of prescription
medicines. Advertising prescription drugs directly to consumers is
only legal in the US and New Zealand, yet recent proposed changes
to EU law may make the practice legal in Europe. A symposium
report released today defines the public health issues relating to
consumer drug advertising and recommends that the EU reject any
legislation that will weaken the current ban.
The report describes the issues raised by consumer and patient
groups, government regulators and industry representatives who
attended a January 2002 symposium in Brussels. Participants were
responding to proposed changes to article 88 of Directive
2001/83/EC which would likely allow two forms of advertising
previously banned on public health grounds: advertising of
prescription-only drugs to the public for HIV/AIDS, diabetes and
asthma, and advertising of treatments for some serious diseases.
Consumer advocates and public health experts at the meeting
expressed concerns over the public health consequences of
pharmaceutical advertising, particularly noting that the US
experience with drug advertising has contributed to a rising spiral of
drug costs and may induce greater inappropriate drug use. The
European Commission has stated that this change is necessary to
allow the pharmaceutical industry to "provide information to the
public" but notes that it will be limited to three disease areas for a
trial period.
This symposium report comes on the heels of a British Medical
Journal study published in February which found that
direct-to-consumer advertising leads to an increase in sales of
advertised products at the expense of prescribing appropriateness.
"Patients respond to ads by asking for a drug they may not need,
and the doctor may end up prescribing a drug even if it isn't in the
best interests of that patient," said Ms. Barbara Mintzes, from the
University of British Columbia in Vancouver, who headed the study
and was one of the keynote speakers at the January symposium.
Today's report arrives at the same time that the proposal to change
Article 88 is currently being discussed by members of the European
Parliament and Council of Ministers.
To obtain a copy of the report visit the HAI website at:
http://www.haiweb.org/campaign/DTCA/symposium_reports.html
For more information or to arrange a media interview please contact
Margaret Ewen
Health Action International Europe (Amsterdam)
phone 0031 20 6833684
e-mail hai@hai.antenna.nl
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