Don't tell drug manufacturers but they might not get the blind eye turned toward their marketing practices that they've become accustomed to the last few years. With a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress, their direct-to-consumer practices could be subject to increased scrutiny sooner rather than later. That's because the issue is likely to be the first addressed when hearings start on the policy of companies paying FDA fees to speed along the review of their drugs. Critics want there to be a lag time that the FDA decides on between a drug's development and its advertising of two years but the companies want to be able to decide that on their own. Those self-enforcement guidelines have led to interpretations ranging from six months to a year. All this comes as DTC spending by Big Pharma continues to hit all time highs.Congress might actually crack down on drug ads
Don't tell drug manufacturers but they might not get the blind eye turned toward their marketing practices that they've become accustomed to the last few years. With a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress, their direct-to-consumer practices could be subject to increased scrutiny sooner rather than later. That's because the issue is likely to be the first addressed when hearings start on the policy of companies paying FDA fees to speed along the review of their drugs. Critics want there to be a lag time that the FDA decides on between a drug's development and its advertising of two years but the companies want to be able to decide that on their own. Those self-enforcement guidelines have led to interpretations ranging from six months to a year. All this comes as DTC spending by Big Pharma continues to hit all time highs.
