The European Commission said last week that it was working on a proposal to ease a pan-European ban on direct advertising to patients of prescription drugs for AIDS, asthma and diabetes.
The proposal would allow pharmaceutical companies for the first time to gain direct contact with patients over specific drugs, something that is already allowed in the United States and has been sought by the industry, according to news reports.
The proposal, which is not finalized, is expected to be formally adopted by the European Union’s executive in July. It would then have to be approved by the EU’s 15 member states and by the European Parliament.
“We are in the process of reviewing the existing regulation on pharmaceuticals in the European Union, including the procedures for marketing authorizations,” Commission spokesman Per Haugaard said in the report.
EU officials said direct advertising would be regulated by a code of conduct and strictly limited to drugs for the three selected diseases.
The Commission is envisaging a trial period of 5 years for direct advertising of the selected drugs, the reports said.
Direct-to-consumer advertising has been allowed in the United States since 1997. Although banned in the EU, patients have been able to get more and more information about available drugs by accessing U.S. Internet sites. EU officials say the Commission’s proposal follows pressing demand for information about health remedies from consumers.
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