Jan. 3, 2013 – In the FDA’s view, researchers and policymakers “currently lack empirical literature regarding the various influences” of corrective direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising on prescription drug consumers. To forward the development of this literature, the FDA’s plans to conduct an experimental study on this issue are moving forward.

In a Dec. 26, 2012, Federal Register notice, the agency reiterates its corrective DTC advertising study design overview, sets forth the information collection requirements for the study, and responds to comments received on the initial study proposal published on Feb. 29, 2012.

“I’m optimistic that the FDA, like the FTC, clearly understands that ‘corrective advertising’ is an extraordinary remedy to be applied only to violations that are extraordinary,” said John Kamp, Executive Director, Coalition for Healthcare Communication.   

The study, which will

be administered over the Internet, will include 6,650 interviews of randomly assigned participants. Phase 1 of the study will vary exposure to advertising messages about asthma to examine how a combination of original and corrective DTC ads affects message recall, message comprehension, perceived drug efficacy, perceived drug risk and intentions to ask about or use the drug. Phase 2 will examine the similarity of the corrective ad’s theme and visual elements to those of the original ad for weight-loss products, as well as the exposure delay (time) between viewing the original ad and the corrective ad.

In response to a comment suggesting that the study not examine similarity and time delay but instead

evaluate “a truly informative, nondistracting, clear and conspicuous corrective ad” and “an unclear and inconspicuous corrective ad,” the FDA stated that although it appreciated the suggestion to include clarity as a variable in the study, it selected similarity and time delay as its independent variables to “provide information on the effectiveness of FDA guidance on this issue.”

Two comments also expressed concerns that the time delay conditions as proposed were not realistic and stated that a six-month time delay would be more realistic. The agency agreed that a six-month exposure delay “more closely approximates real-world exposure to original and corrective messaging” and has changed the study accordingly by embedding the stimuli in a “clutter reel” to approximate real-world experience and by adding a six-month delay condition.

The FDA concludes the notice by stating that the study was designed “to address a gap in the literature – there is scant work on the specific efficacy of televised corrective ads intended to address claims made regarding prescription drugs – rather than to simply extend and replicate past literature.”

Written comments on this notice will be accepted by the agency via fax until Jan. 25. See the Dec. 26 notice for details.