Group worries about proposals to allow drug marketing on social media websites

The Center for Digital Democracy is concerned about proposals to allow pharmaceutical companies to market drugs on social media websites. Such a change is under examination by the Food and Drug Administration, the National Journal's Tech Daily Dose reports.

The group worries about consumer protection concerns if drug companies are allowed unfettered access to market drugs over websites such as Twitter and Facebook as well as through text messaging. "These concerns include whether there are adequate safeguards in place to protect consumers if firms use personal information to target drug-related online ads at consumers and about whether firms in marketing their products should be able to target consumers with e-mail, text messages, blast email or email list‐servs, chat rooms, or social networking bulletin boards that are operated by third parties." The FDA has held public hearings on the question, and a spokeswoman said the agency is evaluating comments to issue guidelines (Gruenwald, 5/10).

Modern Healthcare: "The Center for Digital Democracy also urged the FDA to work with the Federal Trade Commission in developing its forthcoming guidelines. The FTC is expected to release a report on online consumer privacy issues this summer. The Center for Digital Democracy is a not-for-profit group that advocates for consumer-interest issues related to digital technology use" (Rhea, 5/10).

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This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.