Perspective               

Study Finds Many Drug Ads Repeatedly Misleading

A study by the General Accounting Office (GAO) has found that some drug companies have repeatedly circulated misleading advertisements for prescription drugs, even after the government cites them for violations.

Pfizer, for example, has continued to make misleading claims for its cholesterol-lowing medication, Lipitor, in spite of several letters from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over the last four years. In its most recent letter to Pfizer, the FDA said that an advertisement in Time, Reader's Digest, Good Housekeeping, and other magazines was misleading because if falsely suggested that Lipitor was safer than other drugs used to lower cholesterol.

GAO criticized the government's inability to stop deceptive ads, blaming it on the Bush administration's recent change that lengthens the review process for advertisements that are suspected to be misleading. GAO estimates that millions of people see the deceptive ads before the government can stop them.

GAO also said that at least 8.5 million Americans each year request and receive prescriptions for specific drugs after seeing or hearing an advertisement. So before believing everything you see in a drug ad, do some additional research. You can find helpful information on prescription drug usage at www.drugs.com.

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