Direct-to-consumer communication by pharmaceutical companies? Europeans deserve better

We welcome this commitment.As of middle of March 2010, the legislative process is ongoing at the European Parliament, generating uncertainties. European Commission’s proposals on “‘information’ to the general public on medicinal products subject to medical prescription” were issued in December 2008. The directive and the regulation are based on an incomplete report that failed to fulfil the demand of the European Parliament and the Council for a report on “the benefits and risks of information currently available to the public”.

Moreover, the proposals contradict the views of the wider health community, as expressed in responses to the public consultations in 2007 and 2008, which stated that the pharmaceutical industry cannot be considered a reliable source of unbiased information due to an obvious and unavoidable conflict of interest.During the Council meetings and discussions on this topic, Member States have also repeatedly echoed strong concerns.