FDA wants reform of medical device ads.(Capital Watch)(Food and Drug Administration)(Brief Article)

Broadcasting & Cable, February, 2004

Hearing aids and other medical devices may fail under the same broadcast advertising standards as pharmaceuticals. Under a proposal by the Food and Drug Administration, advertisers would be encouraged to disclose the most serious and common risks associated with a device and give a toll-free number for receiving more detailed information by phone, mail, or the Web.

The proposal coincided with suggested revisions to pharmaceutical print ads. The FDA wants to replace the small-print list of all a drug's risks with less-comprehensive but more consumer-friendly risk notices. Similar revisions to broadcast prescription drug ads are being considered.