Drug ads scrutinized by Congress

WASHINGTON, May 8 (UPI) -- Drug company television ads have crossed ethical boundaries due to political appointments at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a congressman said.

U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., said appointed attorneys allowed Johnson & Johnson to promote the drug Procrit for fighting fatigue, although it isn't one of drug's approved uses, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

Stupak heads the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee, which plans to review direct-to-consumer drug ads.

A controversy over a Pfizer Inc. advertisement for the blockbuster drug Lipitor, featuring Robert Jarvik, who contributed to the invention of the artificial heart, have also given Democrats ammunition for cracking down on drug ads, the Journal reported.

Critics say Jarvik, who isn't a medical doctor, appears in the ad giving medical advise.

Ken Johnson, vice president of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America said the ads prompt consumers to visit their doctors.

Television companies are also positioned to defend the ad campaigns.

Pharmaceutical companies spent roughly $2.5 billion on television ads in 2007, the report said.

"The drug and TV and cable industries have formed a cabal here to protect their revenues," Gene Kimmelman of Consumers Union told the Journal.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International