Last September, Congress approved a major drug safety bill requiring that all drug print ads include adverse event reporting info, such as a toll-free telephone number and an easy-to-use web site. But as Consumers Union notes, the FDA must conduct a study to be completed in March to determine whether the same info should also be included in TV ads.
And so the consumer-advocacy group is circulating a petition that it hopes will attract at least 50,000 signatures, which will then be sent to the FDA to "demand" the agency include the same adverse-event reporting info on TV ads.
"If the FDA is really serious about finding out how drugs work in the millions of people who take them each day, it should make it as easy as possible for consumers to report side effects,” Kim Witczak, founder of the drug safety group, WoodyMatters, and co-author of the petition, says in a statement. "Safety problems sometimes emerge when a drug is on the market and taken by millions of people. Adverse event reporting can provide the FDA with real-time information about problem medicines.”
So far, we're told nearly 10,000 signatures have been gathered. This is the petition.
9 Comments
As consumers we deserve the right to know about our meds. I am a diabetic and also an advocate for med mal victims. I went to get my meds the other day and they were 10 dollars more. I asked why. The pharmacist said that they could change the chemistery any time they wanted to and that is why it was different. And he said, it was legal. I called my Doctor's office and they said, that it was not legal and wanted me to come right in. Who do they think they are fooling? We have 30 International rights PULSE of Washington State Myra Richardson
Fed up with TV ads that sell you the "good news" about prescription drugs but gloss over the shortcomings? Do these drugs actually work? And how common are those side effects? The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will soon decide whether these TV a...
Though Pharmalot has contributed information for consumers, no changes have been made. Discussing on this web site the corruption of Doctors not reporting adverse side effects will not change anything. Congress and State Legislatures enact Patient Safety Laws that are in Name only. It is the medical profession, the health industries, hospitals associations, American Medical Association, Joint Accrediation hospital Commission, Hospital Associations, Pharmaceutialsm,State Medical Societes that are Associted with AMA are infulencing all elected officals and writing our medical laws. Consumers must make elected officals accounatable and discipline the guilty.
Hi Lili,
You may be surprised, but as more people read sites such as this, and the sites get passed around to legislators and their staffs, changes can be considered.
I do know that this site is read in Washington, DC, and by legislators and attorneys general staffs in various states. Can I prove that? Well, I know who subscribes. Beyond that, I can only say as a journalist that I'm aware of who is aware of Pharmalot.
Your concern speaks to the gradual evolution of the new media here on the Internet as a means to effect change, much as generations relied on newspapers and magazines to fill that role. Internet sites, such as Pharmalot, will gradually take up that task as the new media grows and, unfortunately, many traditional media wane.
So take heart. I've no idea how long it will take before all this kicks in, but I do know one thing - there is no protection in silence.
Regards ed
Myra,
I have attempted to decipher your comment and I think you may have been confused by your pharmacist. He may have said that they could change the "formulary" not the formula. A formulary is a list of drugs that are covered by your health plan and the cost of each drug. That simply means that your health plan probably moved your drug from one tier of co-payment to another costing you $10 more per month. I can't be sure that this happened, but it sounds logical. I highly doubt that your drug's "chemistry" changed.
Lili--
As Ed remarked, changes evolve slowly . . . but with an engaged populace, we can (hopefully) increase the pace.
Merrill Goozner had a guest writer http://www.gooznews.com/archives/000975.html who showed a pathway that could--IF DOCTORS HAVE THE WILL TO ADVOCATE FOR THEIR PATIENTS AND THEMSELVES--circumvent the flawed FDA adverse-event reporting system. It is certainly food for thought and highlights the NEED for timely reporting and sharing of information. If government can't/won't perform, doctors themselves can. (The third 'comment' beneath the article expresses the level of discontent that many share.)
Just another comment about the cost of drugs at your pharmacy. Are you aware that drug distributors such as McKesson (they are the most notorius)are responsible for marking up 80 - 100% of the drug? Did you know that the price you pay doesn't all go to pharma? People can make their profits, but when a drug distributor who has nothing to do with innovation, and research in bringing a drug to market make the same profit (in some cases even more) than pharma - well this is robbery... But, you can imagine that pharma gets something special out of the relationship. Everyone does, except the patient of course...
I hope Washington is reading.
We need to stop "talking" about universal access to healthcare as something that "would be nice" and realize that it is a fundamental basic human right. All citizens must be able to access healthcare, drugs and treatments freely.
The thing is, that with all the abuse patients go through, I wonder when it becomes an issue of human rights?
I'm a business jounalist writing for Tooling & Production Magazine. Has Ad Age done any stories on the booming phenomenon of drug and medicine advertising on the TV? How much is spent by drug houses for TV advertising? For all advertising in TV, magazines, newspapers?If so, where in your archives can I find a story pertaining to my questions? Thanks for any info you can provide. Stan Modic
Hi Stan,
Just about every publication has done such a story, and I would safely guess more than once.
That said, you can do a search on this site for DTC Ads or DTC Advertising and gain a good bit of background and some figures, but I confess I can't recall which post would have a specific number that you want.
You can also look at the Ad Age site and search its database or visit the site of a consulting firm called DTC Perspectives, which tracks this topic, and do a search there as well.
I hope this helps,
ed