• Reuters, Tuesday, May 11, 2010 9:50 PM

U.S. health officials will encourage physicians to report misleading promotions from pharmaceutical salespeople who pitch medicines in doctors' offices or over dinners. The effort wants to increase regulators' reach into the largest area of prescription drug promotion -- the private contacts between drug company salespeople and prescribers, says Reuters.

 

The law requires prescription drug marketing to be truthful and balanced. Food and Drug Administration staffers routinely check ads on television or in magazines or medical journals, but it is tough to track closed-door pitches. Starting this month, the FDA staff will set up booths at major medical conferences to tell doctors how to spot questionable pitches. The agency also is sending a letter to about 33,000 healthcare providers about the campaign, dubbed the Bad Ad Program.

The effort comes as the FDA has been getting tougher on drug promos. The Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising and Communications sent 41 enforcement letters in 2009, up from just 21 the year before. This past January alone, the division sent out another nine and has plans to continue that pace through 2010.  Indeed, the agency has recently sent letters to a number of drugmakers--including Roche, Sanofi-Aventis and Adolor--warning about misleading promotions, notes Fierce Pharma.

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