Brasília, September 18, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Approximately 30% of deaths due to intoxication in Brazil are caused by medications used incorrectly, mainly through self-prescription, overdosage, and misleading advice given by pharmacists. These data are from the Regional Pharmacy Council of the Federal District (CRF/DF). One of the chief villains identified by specialists as a contributor to self-prescription is drug advertising, which is little scrutinized in Brazil. This was one of the issues discussed at the National Conference of Medications and Pharmaceutical Assistance, which ends today in this capital.
For the coordinator of the event, the pharmacist Clair Castilhos, prohibiting drug advertising would be coherent, since, in principle, medications should only be used with a prescription. In her view, physicians and dentists should possess scientific and technical information about remedies, and advertising to promote new medications should be directly exclusively at those who prescribe them, never over the television. "Advertising leads to self-prescription, to "drug-pushing" at pharmacies, which is an enormous distortion in the sphere of retail trade," Castilhos alerted.
The National Sanitary Health Agency (Anvisa) should propose changes in the legislation that regulates this area. Currently, the only thing that is prohibited is the association of a drug with symbols that might confuse consumers, such as the picture of a piece of fruit associated with a cough syrup for children, which might, for example, lead parents to think that it is not a medication.
When 930 drug advertisements were analyzed by the Agency, together with universities, 90% were found to present some type of irregularity. A document with the proposal will be concluded in March, 2004, informed the manager of Control and Inspection of Medications and Products at Anvisa, Maria José Delgado Fagundes.
The Federal Council of Medicine should publish a resolution tomorrow, determining the new criteria that will serve as guidelines for medical advertising, defining what is permissible in announcements and the publication of medical news, as well as what constitutes anti-promotion and other prohibited medical practices.
This information comes from the Council's press office. (DAS)
