Advancing healthcare policy

Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) disguised as patient "information" [2007-2012]

Paris, 11 March 2010

11 concrete proposals to improve European citizens' access to independent and comparative health information.

European citizens deserve better than direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA), under the guise of "direct-toconsumer information" (DTCI).

Our 11 concrete proposals are presented as 6 key points:

Put an end to the confusion of roles
Promote independent health information on health determinants
Promote independent comparative information, tailored to each patient
Improve the transparency of drug regulatory agencies at national and European levels (Member states and European Medicines Agency)
Improve the readability, quality and availability of packaging elements to improve patient safety (enforcement of articles 59 and 86 of Directive 2001/83/EC consolidated)
Encourage public health literacy, notably through direct-patient reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs)

Read the full text:

"How to improve European citizens' access to independent and comparative health information"
Our 11 concrete proposals.
> Click here to download the full text (pdf, 152 Ko)