Advertising designed to correct misleading information about drugs doesn't change consumer views, according to a new study published in the Journal of Communication.
Researchers at the Food and Drug Administration's Office of Prescription Drug Promotion had 1,000 people look at an advertisement for a fictitious asthma medication and then had them look at a corrective ad about the same drug.
The study found that the second ad convinced viewers they had been misled regarding the efficacy of the fictitious drug, but that the second ad failed to drive home the potential risks when the first ad omitted those details.
As expected, those who viewed only one of the two ads believed the information given to them in their respective ads.
“Showing participants a corrective ad in which this omission is highlighted did not appear to directly undermine the perceived accuracy of the original claim mentioning the shorter list of side effects,” researchers wrote.
The ability of advertising to correct misleading claims by pharmaceutical firms has been debated for years.
One of the more notable cases occurred in 2009, when the FDA forced Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceutical to launch a $20 million media campaign specifically to correct claims the company made for its birth control medication Yaz. Bayer was found to have overstated the drug's use for treatment of acne and premenstrual syndrome.
The study's findings come as federal regulators are faced with increasing challenges in its review of drug advertising and its enforcement against drugmakers who make false or misleading claims. Companies are required to submit advertisements to the FDA for review to ensure claims made in ads are factual and do not fail to omit vital information such as potential side effects.
Many claim however the agency's rules have not kept up with changes in the media landscape, such as the advent of social media. In April, the FDA issued draft guidance that would allow companies to electronically submit advertising for review, which until then had been submitted in paper form, even for advertisements that were designed for electronic media.
