Prescription drug websites confusing

William Atkins
Thursday, 01 July 2010 22:25

Science - Health

According to research by Dartmouth and Minnesota researchers, the websites of manufacturers of prescription drugs have 'an unpredictable mix of information and promotion' even though they are supposed to be regulated by the FDA.

 

Dr. Lewis Glinert, a professor of linguistics in the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Languages and Literatures at Dartmouth University (Hanover, New Hampshire) and Dr. Jon C. Schommer, the associate head of the Department of Pharmaceutical Care and Health Systems in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis/St. Paul), took it upon themselves to examine 100 website of the best-selling prescription drugs in the United States.

According to the June 30, 2010 EurekAlert.com article Linguistics professor examines manufacturers' prescription drug websites, they found a "startling lack of consistency in an industry where advertising standards are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).'

Dr. Glinert is quoted in the article. He states, "Communicating via a website is common practice today and consumers are very savvy about doing their own research on the Internet.'

He added, 'The FDA has rules about direct-to-consumer print and television drug advertising, so we think it makes sense to also regulate websites and other marketing tools when it comes to prescription medicine. Consumers need consistent and balanced information."

 

The conclusions of their study were presented by Dr. Glinert at the Communication, Medicine and Ethics (COMET) 2010 Conference, which was held at the Boston University School of Public Health from June 28 to June 30, 2010.

The title of his presentation on June 29, 2010 was "Manufacturers' prescription drug web sites: A gray area of discourse and ethics.'

Page two concludes with the major conclusions of Glinert and Schommer's paper.