The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is trying to determine if television drug advertisements should be required to include a toll-free number that consumers can use to report side effects associated with their medications.

While this seems to be a good idea, opponents believe that the information could “distract” consumers away from important drug safety information.  Print ads currently contain the toll-free number, and the FDA is now required by law to include the number on their TV ads. However, the FDA has had an extension in testing the effects of the number and is expected to being a study shortly. They plan on showing fictitious ads to consumer groups and then interview those groups to determine comprehension levels.

Critics of the current advertising practices claim that situations in which medications are over-prescribed before full effects are known occur too frequently. They contend that educating consumers on how to report side effects to the FDA will lead to quicker action in addressing safety problems. Right now, consumers generally tell their prescribing physician of a drug side effects, and that information is not always reported to the FDA.

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