Re:

11/27/15

To the editor:

'Turn the volume down on drug ads' (NYT, 11/27/15) glosses over the significant shift that occurred in the mid-1990's leading to the proliferation of direct to consumer advertising (DTCA).  At that time,  the FDA came increasingly under attack in its efforts to regulate the drug industry fueled, in large part, by the Republican Party's taking control of Congress in 1994. House Speaker Newt Gringrich called the FDA the 'no. 1 job killer' and the pressure to deregulate was intense. In 1997, the FDA, under pressure, clarified that drug companies could advertise their drugs as long as consumers were referred elsewhere (a website, a toll free number, a physician) for complete product information. The result? Between 1997 and 1998 television DCTA spending more than doubled; total DCTA advertising jumped from $1.3B in 1998 to $3.3B in 2005. For the pharmaceutical industry, this was also an effort to mitigate the growing role of managed care in encouraging the use of less expensive drugs.

Respectfully

Larry S. Sandberg