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Commercial Alert Launches ‘StopDrugAds.org’

Commercial Alert, the consumer advocacy group that has worked to halt pharmaceutical direct-to-consumer advertising, has launched a new website in the hopes of educating the public about the dangers of prescription drug advertising, and rallying Americans to voice opposition to the ads, AdAge writes.

The FDA held two days of hearings on DTC prescription drug advertising in November, and is continuing to accept public comment on the topic until Feb. 28.

 

The site, StopDrugAds.org, claims that each year, drug executives spend $4 billion on prescription drug ads “for pills they say will make you feel happier, sleep better and improve your sex life.”

It goes on to say the “evidence is clear that the ads are not educational, do not promote public health, and can be extremely dangerous, as the Vioxx tragedy shows.”

According to a statement on the site, more than 200 medical school professors have endorsed the statement opposing drug ads. Consumers are invited to read and edit a pre-written statement, and to send it to the FDA directly from the site.