: Ban DTC Advertising for 2-years

[Guest guest]

I agree with ...if the American people would stand up and demand that

politicians stop taking money from Big Pharma, we could start to make some

progress. As long as politicians are getting their bread-and-butter from these

pigs, the problems will remain.

Terry

THIS STORY HAS BEEN FORMATTED FOR EASY PRINTING

proposes tougher regulations on advertising for new drugs

By Holly Ramer, Associated Press Writer | October 28, 2007

LACONIA, N.H. --Democratic presidential hopeful said Sunday that

prescription drug companies should wait two years to begin advertising their new

products to consumers.

Outlining a plan to regulate what he views as misleading drug ads, noted

that annual spending on such ads nearly has quadrupled to $4 billion in the

decade since the government relaxed rules on advertising directly to consumers.

" You've seen these ads. You know who's paying for them, right? You are, " said

, who for years has derided ads that promise after one pill, " You'll be

skipping through the fields holding hands with your spouse. "

Top companies spend twice as much on marketing and administration as they do on

research and development, he said at a town-hall meeting at Laconia High School.

" Basically, they do what they want, and they're driving up demand for the most

expensive and most profitable drugs, " he said. " The next president needs to deal

with this issue. "

The two-year delay would prevent television ads from driving consumers to drugs

that haven't been proven safe, said , who also would require drug

companies to get Food and Drug Administration approval before launching major ad

campaigns.

" I think two years makes sense. I think it gives enough time for a drug not just

to have been tested in clinical trials but to be out among the public, to see

what kind of adverse reactions there have been, " he told reporters afterward.

' plan also includes increased penalties for companies that violate

truth-in-advertising laws and would require companies to disclose more

information about a drug's side effects and effectiveness compared to placebos

and less expensive alternative drugs.

Doing so would ensure that " salesmanship is not trumping the facts, so people

learn what the real risks are associated with these drugs, " said.

on Sunday began a four-day swing through New Hampshire, accompanied by

his wife, , and their children, Jack and Emma .

He told voters at several stops that they can help end the influence of drug

company lobbyists and other special interests even before the election.

" If you, New Hampshire primary voters, said starting today, 'I will not vote for

a candidate for president who takes millions of dollars from Washington

lobbyists, period, it would stop. I'm telling you, it would stop, " he said at a

Concord middle school. " This is not about punishing anyone. This is about making

the system work. "

has tried to portray Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who sits atop the

Democratic presidential field, as beholden to Washington lobbyists because she

accepts their money; he does not.

He said that in his days as a trial lawyer he would have been charged with

bribery had he offered money to jurors he was trying to win over.

" In Washington, when they do it, it's called politics, " said.

A spokeswoman for Clinton's campaign pointed out that does accept money

from corporate executives whose industries have interests in government

policies.

" If Mr. is so concerned about the influence of special interests, he

should give back the hundreds of thousands of dollars he's taken from the

pharmaceutical, oil and securities industries, " Kathleen Strand said. " Whether

fighting insurance companies to insure every American, working to eliminate big

oil's tax subsidies, or fighting President Bush's effort to privatize social

security, Hillary Clinton has spent her whole career taking on special interests

and fighting for America's families. "

© Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company

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