Television advertisements for prescription medications should include a statement about the Food and Drug Administration's MedWatch program so that consumers know where to report side effects that they may experience from their medicines. That was the primary message of ASHP's comment letter on potential requirements for direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisements for prescription drugs.

The letter details how ASHP, a MedWatch partner, refers to the program in its patient education resources such as SafeMedication. The Society also disseminates MedWatch notices on its Web site.

ASHP referred to the estimated one to five percent of adverse drug events (ADEs) reported to MedWatch as it noted that inclusion of the statement on MedWatch would educate a broad audience on the appropriate use of the system. The Society also pointed out that greater use of the system would provide the FDA with more post-market information to help improve drug safety.

ASHP policy supports educational DTC advertising on prescription drug therapies that include pharmacists as a source of information.

Click here to read ASHP's comment letter.

American Society of Health-System Pharmacists