Internet advertising now and in the future will also affect physicians because patients will ask questions about what they see online, as they do now with other DTC advertising, Dr. Cush says. “A person who has fibromyalgia may want to know about Humira. They may want to spend four or five minutes of their 15-minute visit discussing the drug because their cousin sent them a Facebook feed for it,” he says.
The guidance from the FDA could also have an ancillary effect on physicians as they start promoting their practice and experience via the Internet, Dr. Cush adds.
He believes the guidance from the FDA regarding Internet advertising will address what could specifically violate FDA regulations. Dr. Buckley believes the guidance will be very similar to that for print media, requiring pharmaceutical companies to have their online ads approved by the FDA before circulation, list risks as well as benefits, and not make unjustified claims about superiority.
Vanessa Caceres is a medical writer and editor in Florida.
