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Healthy Skepticism Library item: 19451

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

 

Publication type: Electronic Source

Silverman E
Most Docs Are Unaware Of FDA ‘Bad Ad’ Program
Pharmalot 2011 Mar 4
http://www.pharmalot.com/2011/03/most-docs-are-unaware-of-fda-bad-ad-program/


Full text:

Last spring, the FDA began a new effort to encourage doctors to report ‘bad’ advertisements and promotional campaigns for prescription drugs and dubbed it the ‘Bad Ad‘ program. The goal is to make it easy for docs and other healthcare providers to report perceived problems to the agency, which describes the program as educational outreach.
One former FDA official lauded the move. “On balance, the FDA probably feels there’s a lot of violative behavior they simply can not monitor with limited resources,” Arnold Friede, a former FDA associate chief counsel and a former senior corporate counsel at Pfizer, told us at the time. “…if the objective is compliance and not enforcement, then this is an additional incentive for a company to closely monitor and control communications by their sales people. For an enforcement agency, I think it’s an understandable, perhaps even brilliant move from their perspective.”
But what do some doctors think? A poll of 1,132 physicians last fall found almost 91.2 percent would be at least “somewhat likely” to report questionable behavior, according to DoctorDirectory, which works with drugmakers on marketing strategies and runs an online search engine for locating docs. In addition, 86.4 percent support the program and 68.7 percent say it is possible the program will increase the number of complaints submitted.
The responses may encourage FDA officials. On the other hand, the FDA needs to raise awareness – only 30.3 percent knew about the program. And while 35.9 percent are very likely to file a complaint, only 30.6 percent feel confident they are qualified to determine what constitutes inappropriate advertising that could be deemed false, misleading, or off-label. Meanwhile, 72.6 percent have, in the past, questioned a rep about truthful or credible info, but 57.3 percent say being able to file a report anonymously increases the likelihood they would do so.
Two further insights: 75.6 percent believe there is potential for abuse by some healthcare providers who may have a bias against, or dislike of, a specific drugmaker or sales rep. And 63.2 percent were neutral about their views toward colleagues who file a complaint about a questionable promotion of some sort (here is the release).

 

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