When critics raised suggestions that a link existed between drug abuse and the advertising of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, the Proprietary Association commissioned independent studies to determine if there were truth to the allegations. “The weight of the evidence refutes the alleged relationship between advertising and drug abuse,” concludes the author of this paper. He also outlines the ongoing work of the OTC Review Panels, commissioned by the Food and Drug Administration, to evaluate ingredients in all over-the-counter medicines available to American consumers.
Advertising plays an important and distinct role in self-medication. This article briefly reviews the separate, but complimentary, roles of advertising and labeling of nonprescription medicines and some of advertising's limitations. The article moves on to describe six areas of advertising control — including self-regulatory and governmental components — in the regulation of nonprescription medicine advertising.
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