For immediate release
June 20, 2005
'ENFORCE THE BAN ON DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER ADVERTISING,' SAYS HEALTH GROUP
This week, in a Canada-wide awareness campaign, DES Action Canada is
calling
on the Minister of Health, Ujjal Dosanjh, to enforce the ban on
direct-to-consumer
advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs in Canada. Instead of drug
advertising,
Canadians need access to reliable drug information that is independent
of the
pharmaceutical industry, says the group.
During DES Awareness Week - June 20 to 26 - DES Action Canada reminds
Canadians that
the tragic lesson of DES exposure over 30 years ago has not been
learned. In fact, since
that time DTCA of prescription drugs has increased exponentially as have
the harmful effects
of so many other "wonder drugs."
Despite the fact that DTCA is banned in Canada, there's a lack of
enforcement by Health
Canada - a fact that has been publicly stated by the Standing Committee
on Health in its
report Opening the Medicine Cabinet in 2004. Canadians are also exposed
to drug advertising
from the United States where DTCA is legal.
"Systematic analyses of DTCA have found that the ads are often
inaccurate, use emotive
techniques and fail to provide the basic information patients need for
informed treatment
choice," says Dr. Barbara Mintzes, drug researcher and vice-president of
DES Action Canada.
"In New Zealand, which relies on a regulatory model similar to that
being proposed for Canada -
pre-screening plus industry self-regulation - DTCA contains almost no
risk information and
benefits are often exaggerated."
In both the United States and New Zealand, Vioxx (rofecoxib) was
advertised to the public for
four years after solid evidence of cardiac risks had emerged in a
clinical trial (the VIGOR trial).
"By stimulating sales, these ads led to greater population exposure and
avoidable harm. They
did not adequately warn the public of Vioxx's risks, and used images and
headlines implying
superior effectiveness when this was not the case," says Mintzes.
At a recent meeting of consumer health groups in Vancouver co-hosted by
DES Action Canada,
participants urged the federal government to heed recommendations of the
Standing Committee
on Health that Canada should not introduce DTCA and Health Canada should
properly enforce
the Food & Drugs Act. This includes reversing administrative policies
that currently allow
for certain ads to appear in Canada.
DES (diethylstilbestrol) was prescribed to an estimated 200,000 to
400,000 pregnant women
across Canada between 1941 and 1971 in the mistaken belief that it
prevented miscarriage. Marketed
as a "wonder drug," DES remained on the market for 18 years after it was
scientifically proven
ineffective. The women prescribed DES and their offspring continue to
suffer from adverse effects,
decades after the initial exposure.
"Our members are acutely aware of the need for better post-market
surveillance and the need to limit
direct-to-consumer advertising," says president and co-founder Harriet
Simand. "Unfortunately, the
legislative renewal process currently underway at Health Canada is
heading in the opposite direction.
Politicians must take leadership, and make sure that public health is a
priority over commercial
interests."
DES Awareness Week: June 20 to 26, 2005
Contact: Ellen Reynolds
Communications
DES Action Canada
Victoria, BC
Tel: (250) 519-0497
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
DES Action Canada is the only non-profit consumer organization alerting
the Canadian public
and health professionals to the risks associated with the drug
diethylstilbestrol (DES). DES
Action Canada's mission is to identify, inform, provide support to, and
advocate for people
exposed to DES. The organization also works to prevent similar public
health disasters and
supports efforts to strengthen health protection in areas such as
prescription drug testing
and approval, post-marketing surveillance and drug advertising. For more
information,
visit www.web.net/~desact
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