A top Democrat lawmaker supports reining in direct-to-consumer advertising (DTA) of pharmaceuticals on those products new to market whose risks are not immediately known.  Previously, pharma companies addressed this issue with extremely fast-talking disclaimers at ads’ end, when advising patients to “consult their physician” before considering taking the drug.

Rep. Henry Waxman listed the idea as one of many he would like to pursue as chairman of the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee after a new Congress convenes in January and starts to tackle a range of health-care issues.

“It is in these first few years of a drug’s life that drug companies often aggressively market their products and engage in direct-to-consumer advertising. This increases the number of consumers exposed to safety risks of new products long before those risks are truly understood,” Waxman said at a conference sponsored by The Prescription Project, a group critical of industry marketing.

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