• Philadelphia Inquirer/AP, Thursday, April 19, 2007 10:45 AM

A Senate bill being put together by Edward M. Kennedy (D., Mass.) and Michael Enzi (R., Wyo.) would prohibit the advertising of new pharmaceuticals to consumers until they have been on the market for two years.

Supporters of the legislations say the goal is to ensure that medicines are safe in real-world use before the industry tries to drive up prescriptions and generate higher sales from patients' requesting new drugs from doctors. The drug industry says pharmaceutical ads are an important tool for patients, giving them information about diseases and treatment options.

Consumer advocates stress that the bill would merely give FDA the option of barring advertising, and that it probably would be used only for first-of-a-kind drugs. But lawyers representing the drug industry oppose any tighter restrictions.

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