Drug Companies Agree to New Rules on DTC Advertising

Pharma marketing consultants and health PR firms should be aware of a recently announced moratorium on new drug ads.

According to Ed Silverman, author of the Pharmalot blog, a number of leading drug manufacturers — including Merck, Schering-Plough, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer — have agreed to a six-month moratorium on advertising new drugs.

The pharma companies said that the six-month moratorium formalized industry practice, which is to educate doctors before moving to consumer communications. The change came in response to a request from Michigan Democrats Bart Stupak and John Dingell, members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, who had originally requested a two-year voluntary waiting period on DTC.

The pharmaceutical leaders will also begin adhering to American Medical Association guidelines about using actors to portray physicians. At least one marketer, J&J, says it won’t use doctors in ads to discuss the benefits of a drug.