FDA To Study Prescription Drug Advertising Aimed At Teenagers

Teenagers are, by and large, a vulnerable group that is also exposed regularly to prescription drug advertising. But how do they perceive the messages for medicines, especially those that treat afflictions common to that time of life? And to what extent are they able to sift through the information and assess the risks and benefits? In hopes of assessing teenage reactions to such situations, the FDA plans to run a randomized, controlled study by showing Internet- based promotional campaigns for fake medicines for acne and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in order to compare their perceptions of the messages with young adults. The various cognitive, social and emotional, and developmental processes maturing in the adolescent brain have a big influence on how they perceive information and weigh the associated risks and benefits, the FDA wrote in a notice posted online last week. Also factors such as family dynamics, the vividness of the information, and peer stigma play a role in their decision making. “The need for understanding how adolescents weigh risks and benefits is particularly critical given the potential adverse events associated with use of the drug classes that are marketed directly to adolescents,” the FDA noted. “Suicide and suicidal ideation have been associated with some of these classes, including a commonly used class of acne medications.” Indeed, isotretinoin, which is the main ingredient in generic versions of Accutane, a popular acne medicin...
Source: Pharmalot - Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Source Type: blogs