FDA urges docs to report misleading drug ads

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration said it will begin asking doctors to keep an eye out for misleading drug advertisements as part of the agency's latest effort to police the pharmaceutical industry's multibillion-dollar marketing machine.

The agency's "bad ad program" urges doctors to report ads and sales pitches that violate FDA rules. Drug companies are legally required to present a balanced picture of a drug's benefits and risks in promotions, though critics charge that many TV and magazine ads fail to do so.

Currently, the FDA relies on a few dozen staffers to review hundreds of pharmaceutical ads, brochures and presentations voluntarily submitted by companies or reported to the agency by drug industry personnel.

The agency issues warning letters to companies using misleading materials, but because of the volume of submissions those letters often aren't sent until months after the ad is released, and in some cases after the ad is no longer in circulation.