Consensus says ban on pharma advertising should be maintained

A public consultation on patient information rules has revealed an "overall consensus" that the ban on direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription-only medicines should be maintained within the EU, the European Commission has claimed.

But the participants - ranging from drug manufacturers to medical professionals and patients" groups - agreed that "there is a need to provide citizens of EU member states with understandable, objective, high-quality and non-promotional information about the benefits and the risks of prescription-only medicines."

To ensure there is a clear distinction between advertising and non-promotional information, the consultation "acknowledged in general" that EU legislation was required to "harmonise the..provision of patient information of prescription-only medicines".

However, it accepted that drafting this law would not be easy. "It was agreed that such a distinction is not easy to establish," it concluded. There was also consensus that such legislation should not generate red tape. "The respondents agreed that unnecessary bureaucracy should be avoided," said the Commission.