• Associated Press, Tuesday, March 14, 2006 12 PM

Pharmaceutical marketers are beginning to change their advertising to more accurately reflect the severity of some diseases and the side effects of drugs. The move follows voluntary guidelines adopted by the industry in January that came on the threat of government intervention. As a result, spending on brand advertising is flat while disease awareness campaigns have picked up significantly. Many ads appear more straightforward than before and include doctors speaking bluntly about products. Even so, it may not be enough to appease critics. The Food and Drug Administration is reviewing comments from hearings held late last year and restrictions might be forthcoming. "Whenever there is a public hearing, it is a sign that change is coming," said Gary Messplay, a lawyer who represents drug companies. While Mr. Messplay praised the guidelines, he said they were "a little too little, a little too late." Only 18 percent of consumers believe pharmaceutical ads can be trusted "most of the time," according to a study released last year by the Kaiser Family Foundation. That is down by almost half since 1997, when one-third of those surveyed said you could trust such ads most of the time.

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