In the last year, the FDA has more than tripled the number of warnings about misleading ads that it sends to drug companies. In the 12-month period between August 2004 and 2005, the FDA sent 17 warnings; in the same period from August 2003 to…
Critical thinkers are still influenced by ads, a new study reports. Skepticism is an effective deterrent to the influence of factual ads, but not to emotional ads. Even with the skeptic views emotional appeals as manipulative, he or she is still likely to be won…
I’ve railed against Pfizer’s advertising before (see Education or Advertising? and Education & Advertising Revisited). The company announced yesterday that it will change the way it promotes drugs to the public. According to the New York Times, Pfizer said that by the end of the…
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution editorial contends that voluntary restrictions on direct-to-consumer drug ads are unlikely to provoke much change. The editorial argues that the FDA should regulate drug ads and maybe even reinstate the pre-1997 ban. The editorial was accompanied by a counterpoint article that supports…
I just saw that ChronicBabe also mentions the voluntary restrictions, including a link to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s coverage, which explores details and many opposing views on the topic. Great coverage. Thanks, Babe!