Congress Nixes Limits on Dangerous Drug Ads

Should the Food and Drug Administration have the power to block advertisements for drugs that might hurt or kill you? The obvious answer would seem to be "Are you nuts? Damn right it should."

But thanks to the wonder of lobbyists, Congress somehow came up with a different answer. Check out this Wall Street Journal write-up of the bill approved by the Senate last night and the House of Representatives on Wednesday:

The toughest drug-ad restriction in early drafts of the bill gave the FDA authority to block a drug company from advertising a medication that carried serious safety concerns. That was left on the cutting-room floor. The FDA will get new power to require drug companies to submit TV ads for review before they run, but it can only recommend changes, not require them.

The push for tighter regulation on drug ads had a lot to do with the debacle surrounding Vioxx, the anti-inflammatory Merck yanked from the market in 2004, after it was linked to an "increased risk of cardiovascular events."

Well, it turns out that people who die from unnecessary heart attacks don't donate to reelection campaigns. Pharma and media companies do.