US House C'tee approves FDA DTC review role

A US House of Representatives' subcommittee has cleared proposals for the oversight by the Food and Drug Administration of direct-to-consumer advertising by drugmakers. The more rigorous restrictions were removed, amid concerns that any outright ban or delay would be open to a constitutional challenge under the First Amendment (which protects freedom of speech).

Instead, the Democrat-controlled subcommittee voted 23-nine to give the FDA the authority to fine drug firms up to $250,000 for running "false or misleading" advertisement, according to Reuters. The purpose of a ban, Rep Henry Waxman (Democrat, California) explained, would be "dampening consumer interest in a drug whose risks may be serious but are not yet fully known."