UK ad review
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
The UK's Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will review promotional materials for all newly licensed medicines before the advertisements are run, the agency announces Nov. 8. While MHRA previously only reviewed ads for some new ads based on risk, vetting advertising material on all new drugs allows the agency to "provide an additional safeguard to ensure that healthcare professionals and the public are not misled." Review time for promotional materials is expected to last between three and six months "but could take longer should any problems be identified," the agency stated. In the U.S., direct-to-consumer advertising guidelines released in August by the Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America called for manufacturers to submit advertising materials to FDA prior to launch (1"The Tan Sheet" Aug. 22, 2005, p. 7). EU legislation prohibits direct-to-consumer advertising for conditions including insomnia, diabetes and other metabolic diseases, serious infectious diseases including HIV-related diseases and tuberculosis...