Doctors want time to study the pros and cons of new drugs before pharmaceutical marketers can start advertising them to consumers. That was the message this week from physicians attending the annual
meeting of the American Medical Association, who said they will ask manufacturers and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to work out a waiting period before marketing new prescription drugs and
implantable devices to give doctors more time to study the products. The move was a compromise by the association, which for years had grappled with supporting a proposed ban on direct-to-consumer
prescription-drug ads prompted by the belief that such ads lead patients to demand inappropriate medicines from their doctors. Critics argued that such a ban would violate free-speech rights. "The
length of time this requires will vary from medicine to medicine, and companies will likely meet this goal in different ways," said Ken Johnson, senior vice president of Pharmaceutical Research and
Manufacturers of America. The proposal applies to new prescription drugs and medical devices, such as knee implants and artificial discs.
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