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Avorn J. Wedding Websites, Free Speech, and Adverse Drug Effects. N Engl J Med 2023; 389:1447-1449. [PMID: 37843109 DOI: 10.1056/nejmp2307908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jerry Avorn
- From the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics and the Program on Regulation, Therapeutics, and Law (PORTAL), Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston
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Schwartz LM, Woloshin S, Lu Z, Ross KM, Tessema FA, Peter D, Kesselheim AS. Randomized Study of Providing Evidence Context to Mitigate Physician Misinterpretation Arising From Off-Label Drug Promotion. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes 2019; 12:e006073. [DOI: 10.1161/circoutcomes.119.006073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Background:
Recent court decisions have thrown into question the Food and Drug Administration’s rules limiting manufacturer promotion of prescription drugs for unapproved uses. We assessed how providing pro forma disclosures or more descriptive evidence context about the data supporting an off-label claim affected physicians’ beliefs about drug efficacy.
Methods and Results:
In online and mailed surveys, we randomized national samples of board-certified, clinically active cardiologists, internists, and endocrinologists to receive 1 of 3 information scenarios about a hypothetical drug derived verbatim from excerpts on the website for Vascepa, a prescription fish oil for which Food and Drug Administration specially permitted off-label promotion after a manufacturer lawsuit. The scenarios presented information about the approved on-label indication (severe hypertriglyceridemia), off-label claim + pro forma disclaimers (suggestive but not conclusive evidence for use as an add-on to a statin for patients reaching low-density lipoprotein goal but with persistent moderate hypertriglyceridemia), and off-label claim + evidence context (eg, reports on 3 trials failing to demonstrate cardiovascular benefit of other triglyceride-lowering drugs for such patients). Among 686 respondents (48% response rate), 29% reported receiving off-label information about Vascepa (ie, use as an add-on to a statin) from the manufacturer, and 16% had prescribed it off-label for this purpose. Off-label prescribing was 5 times higher among physicians who received such off-label information (38% versus 7%,
P
<0.001). For the hypothetical drug, the proportion of physicians endorsing the unproven claim that the drug reduced cardiovascular risk was similar among those randomized to the on-label and off-label claim + pro forma disclaimers scenarios (35% versus 37% [95% CI, −6% to 11%]), but substantially lower among those randomized to the off-label claim + evidence context scenario (21% [95% CI, −24% to 7%]).
Conclusions:
Physicians who received company information about the unapproved use of Vascepa were more likely to report prescribing it off-label. Supplementing off-label claims with evidence context improved the prescribers’ knowledge and reduced enthusiasm for the unproven, off-label indication of reducing cardiovascular risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M. Schwartz
- Center for Medicine and the Media, Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Lebanon, NH (L.M.S., S.W.)
| | - Steven Woloshin
- Center for Medicine and the Media, Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Lebanon, NH (L.M.S., S.W.)
- The Lisa Schwartz Program for Truth in Medicine (S.W.)
| | - Zhigang Lu
- Program On Regulation, Therapeutics, and Law (PORTAL), Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA (Z.L., F.A.T., A.S.K.)
| | - Kathryn M. Ross
- American Board of Internal Medicine, Philadelphia, PA (K.M.R.)
| | - Frazer A. Tessema
- Program On Regulation, Therapeutics, and Law (PORTAL), Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA (Z.L., F.A.T., A.S.K.)
| | - Doris Peter
- The Center for Outcomes Research & Evaluation (CORE), Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT (D.P.)
| | - Aaron S. Kesselheim
- Program On Regulation, Therapeutics, and Law (PORTAL), Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA (Z.L., F.A.T., A.S.K.)
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Abstract
In a Guest Editorial, Aaron S. Kesselheim and Michael S. Sinha show how federal and state legislation to allow promotion of drugs for non-approved uses threatens to undermine the FDA's public health mission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S. Sinha
- Program On Regulation, Therapeutics, And Law (PORTAL), Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Aaron S. Kesselheim
- Program On Regulation, Therapeutics, And Law (PORTAL), Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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4
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Mackey TK, Liang BA. After Amarin v FDA: What Will the Future Hold for Off-label Promotion Regulation? Mayo Clin Proc 2016; 91:701-6. [PMID: 27084416 DOI: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2016.02.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2015] [Revised: 01/27/2016] [Accepted: 02/23/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tim K Mackey
- Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, CA; Joint Masters Program in Health Policy and Law, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and California Western School of Law, San Diego, CA; Global Health Policy Institute, La Jolla, CA.
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Abstract
Spencer Phillips Hey and Aaron Kesselheim propose that informativeness-asserting scientific facts-rather than truthfulness ought to be the standard for regulating commercial speech about pharmaceuticals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Spencer Phillips Hey
- The Program On Regulation, Therapeutics, And Law (PORTAL), Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- The Harvard Center for Bioethics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Aaron S. Kesselheim
- The Program On Regulation, Therapeutics, And Law (PORTAL), Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- The Harvard Center for Bioethics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Unhealthy marketing of pharmaceutical products: An international public health concern. J Public Health Policy 2016; 37:149-59. [PMID: 26911654 DOI: 10.1057/jphp.2016.6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
I consider the current state of pharmaceutical marketing vis-à-vis ethical and legal standards and advocate measures to improve it. There is abundant evidence of unethical or illicit marketing. It fuels growing concerns about undue corporate influence over pharmaceutical research, education, and consumption. The most extensive evidence of industry transgressions comes from the United States (US), where whistle-blowers are encouraged by financial rewards to help uncover illicit marketing and fraud. Outside the US increasing evidence of transgressions exists. Recently I have observed a range of new measures to align pharmaceutical marketing practices with ethical and legal standards. In the interest of public health, I highlight the need for additional and more profound reforms to ensure that information about medicines supports quality and resource-efficient care.
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Mackey TK. Digital Direct-to-Consumer Advertising: A Perfect Storm of Rapid Evolution and Stagnant Regulation Comment on "Trouble Spots in Online Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: A Content Analysis of FDA Warning Letters". Int J Health Policy Manag 2016; 5:271-4. [PMID: 27239871 DOI: 10.15171/ijhpm.2016.11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2015] [Accepted: 02/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The adoption and use of digital forms of direct-to-consumer advertising (also known as "eDTCA") is on the rise. At the same time, the universe of eDTCA is expanding, as technology on Internet-based platforms continues to evolve, from static websites, to social media, and nearly ubiquitous use of mobile devices. However, little is known about how this unique form of pharmaceutical marketing impacts consumer behavior, public health, and overall healthcare utilization. The study by Kim analyzing US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notices of violations (NOVs) and warning letters regarding online promotional activities takes us in the right direction, but study results raise as many questions as it does answers. Chief among these are unanswered concerns about the unique regulatory challenges posed by the "disruptive" qualities of eDTCA, and whether regulators have sufficient resources and oversight powers to proactively address potential violations. Further, the globalization of eDTCA via borderless Internet-based technologies raises larger concerns about the potential global impact of this form of health marketing unique to only the United States and New Zealand. Collectively, these challenges make it unlikely that regulatory science will be able to keep apace with the continued rapid evolution of eDTCA unless more creative policy solutions are explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim K Mackey
- Department of Anesthesiology, San Diego School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.,Department of Medicine, Division of Global Public Health, San Diego School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.,Joint Masters Program in Health Policy and Law, San Diego School of Medicine and California Western School of Law, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.,Global Health Policy Institute, San Diego, CA, USA
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