Steering the Industry through Tough Times
This article was originally published in SRA
Executive Summary
European Union member state ministers have clearly sidelined the information to patients section of the pharmaceutical package that is making its way through the European legislative process1,2. It appears that the main factor preventing its progression is an overriding concern that it could lead to direct-to-consumer advertising. The European industry has stressed that DTC advertising, which exists in the US, is something it has never wanted to be introduced. Also, it would have been prepared to have the information that it supplies vetted by an independent third party.