"Over 98%" Of OTC Ads Breach WHO/EU Rules

More than 98% of print advertising of over-the-counter health care products fails to follow international rules and guidelines aimed at protecting the consumer, says a report published this month by the International Organization of Consumers Unions.

The study, A searching Look At Advertising, found that out of 183 print ads from 11 countries, only three fully complied with the guidelines and rules of the World Health organization and the European Union. "We believe this is a significant cause for concern," say the report's authors, adding that while they hope governments will take note and seek to improve procedures, the situation will not improve overnight, and "there is a need to keep the activities of the drug companies under scrutiny."

The international guidelines concerned are the EU Directive on Advertising of Medicinal Products (1992) and the WHO Ethical Criteria on the promotion of Medicinal Products (1988). The WHO Criteria are not legally enforced, and the EU Directive became law after the ads used in the sample were collected, but the IOCU says it is still possible to conclude that a gap exists between the current advertising of OTCs and these standards.