AMA will not call for ban on DTC

The annual meeting of the American Medical Association's House ofDelegates has voted against a resolution seeking for it to petition the US Food and Drug Administration for a ban on direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs. An outright ban would violate protection of free speech afforded under the First Amendment, it was noted.

However, the House has voted to require all DTC ads for prescription drugs to state: "Your physician may recommend other appropriate treatments," which AMA spokesmen said they would be asking the pharmaceutical industry to apply voluntarily, although they would also seek legislative and regulatory enforcement of the disclaimer's use.