Congressional collaboration on DTC device ads
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., wants to work with Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., on addressing direct-to-consumer medical device advertisements, "to determine if moratoriums or other proposed restrictions" might be necessary for ads for restricted devices, the Senator writes in a Sept. 26 letter to Stupak, who is chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's oversight sub-panel. Kohl notes that Stupak and Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., chairman of the House Energy Committee, have asked drug firms to consider a two-year moratorium on DTC ads for new prescription drugs, as recommended by the Institute of Medicine. Kohl held a hearing Sept. 17 on DTC ads for devices ("1The Gray Sheet" Sept. 22, 2008, p. 3)