Drug Websites Influence on Consumers to Be Scrutinized by FDA

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Drug Websites' Influence on Consumers to Be Scrutinized by FDA

By Molly - Consumer reactions to prescription- drug websites will be

assessed by U.S. regulators researching how to apply decades-old advertising

rules to social media.

The Food and Drug Administration proposed three studies in which participants

would answer questions after viewing various versions of a website touting a

fictitious drug, according to a notice to be published tomorrow in the Federal

Register. The public has 60 days to comment on the plan.

The FDA may issue rules this year outlining how drugmakers led by Roche Holding

AG (ROG) can post more tweets and online videos without violating marketing

rules written for print, radio and television. Prescription drug ads touting

products' benefits must also provide information about risks, according to the

FDA notice. Declining sales and pressure to trim costs are pushing manufacturers

to find cheaper ways such as social media sites Twitter and Facebook to

advertise to doctors and patients.

" Currently, there are a number of questions surrounding how to achieve `fair

balance' " in online direct-to-consumer promotions, the agency said. The proposed

web-advertising studies are " relevant to current policy questions and debate and

will complement qualitative research we plan to conduct on issues surrounding

social media. "

The studies would include an examination of whether personal testimonial videos

posted on drug websites influence consumer perceptions of the product. FDA

officials also will investigate whether the prominence of risk information on a

website affects people's understanding of possible side effects.

Previous research on prescription-drug websites has shown that " risk information

is often presented less prominently and in fewer locations on the website " than

information about benefits, according to the FDA notice. Disclosures about risks

also are " often incomplete and written at very high literacy levels, " the agency

said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-27/drug-websites-influence-on-consumers-to\

-be-scrutinized-by-fda.html