Should Big Pharma Really Be Your Facebook Friend?

Imagine among the slew of online updates you get about the daily comings and goings of your Facebook friends and tweets about the latest YouTube video of a cat playing drums, in comes a post about a new brand-name drug.

That scenario may soon become a reality if drug industry officials get their way. Pharmaceutical companies are urging the Food and Drug Administration to develop new rules specifically for Internet promotion of drugs, which could open the door to much more online promotion of drugs.

Existing FDA rules for advertising and marketing drugs in print, on the radio or on television simply don’t work for the fast-paced and ever-changing world of the web, where about 83 percent of users are searching for health information, drug companies say, according to an Associated Press report.

FDA Hearings Planned This Week

The FDA will hold hearings this week to hear the drug industry’s position on Internet marketing. The decision on how the agency will proceed in the future could have a huge impact on how prescription and over-the-counter drugs are pitched on the web.

Drug companies essentially want a better idea of what they can do to promote their products on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other popular web sites. The FDA has not done a good enough of job of spelling out for companies what they can and cannot do in web-based promotions, so many companies have held back on using social networking sites for that purpose.

Rule Changes May be Necessary

The FDA seems to agree that a clearer picture of what is allowed in Internet marketing of drugs may be appropriate. In announcing the meeting, the FDA said “emerging technologies may require the agency to provide additional guidance.”

In the past, drug companies have run afoul of the FDA for marketing drugs through Google and Yahoo. Regulators have found some of the web ads are too superficial and do not adequately address the risks, benefits, and approved uses of the drugs.

Some drug industry officials not only want new rules for Internet drug marketing, they want it fast. They fear FDA rule makers may take years to develop and implement guidelines, and by then, the web may have changed.

“What’s happening is these new media are emerging at an increasingly rapid rate, and are being regulated by an agency that moves very slowly,” said attorney and drug-industry consultant Mark Senak. “In essence, you have a regulatory communication crisis developing.”

No related posts.