AdWeek: FDA Issues Revamped Drug Ad Guidelines

Online prescription pharmaceutical advertisers can breathe a sigh of relief now that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released its new advertising guidelines. Some had feared they would force online advertisers to show gigantic, useless disclaimer and side effect information. Instead, the FDA simply made print advertising more reasonable for drug makers by eliminating some of the onerous disclosure requirements.

Some in Congress complained that this sort of FDA regulation remains relatively meaningless to consumers, where efforts should be concentrated instead on enforcement of false claims. FDA enforcement actions are down by about 75 percent since the Clinton Administration.

Congress created an exemption for herbal remedies and vitamins some years ago, under heavy lobbying, but that might be reversed soon. Recent instances of health problems stemming from dangerous non-prescription drugs changed the political calculations, making continued support of that industry more of a liability. This could lead to further FDA involvement in more online marketing, particularly for the questionable claims and offers frequently seem in spam messages.