FDA Cites Most DTC Drug Spots

More than half of the 30 TV spots for prescription drugs that have aired since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued new rules in 1997 violate those guidelines, government officials disclosed last week. The FDA cited 18 pharmaceutical companies for ads which were unfairly balanced or failed to disclose a drug’s side effects.
In all 18 cases, the spots were taken off the air. Some were edited and re-aired. The FDA, which evaluates all pharmaceutical ads, has the power to take a company to court if it objects to the content of its advertising.