Canadian campaign against DTC ads

A coalition of women's health advocates, consumer and public interestorganizations and academic researchers is currently touring Canada to gain support for its campaign for Health Canada not to lift its ban on direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs as a result of its current review of the federal Food and Drug Act.

DTC drug advertising is poor public policy, says Barbara Mintzes, a leader of the Working Group on Women and Health Protection. Also on the tour is Peter Mansfield, described by the group as an international expert on DTC, who says: "expecting drug companies to be able to provide unbiased information about their drugs is like expecting proud parents to be able to provide unbiased information about the beauty of their children."