Lawmakers Use GAO Report to Pressure Bush on DTC Ads

摘要

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is using a recent government report to pressure the Bush administration to increase funding for FDA oversight of direct-to-consumer (DTC) drug advertising and to institute a moratorium on ads for newly approved products. The Government Accountability Office's (GAO) report, "Prescription Drugs: Improvements Needed in FDA's Oversight of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising," studied issues including trends in drug company spending on DTC ads and the effectiveness of the agency's DTC enforcement. The report, released Dec. 14, described the system as needing reform.