Section 502(n) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act specifies that ads for prescription drugs and biological products must provide a true statement of information "in brief summary" about the advertised product's "side effects, contraindications, and effectiveness." The prescription drug advertising regulations (21 CFR ? 202.1(e)(3)(iii); Appendix B) specify that the information about risks must include each specific side effect and contraindication from the advertised drug's FDA-approved labeling, including the Warnings, Precautions, Adverse Reactions, and other relevant sections. Some of the current approaches to fulfilling the brief summary requirement, while adequate from a regulatory perspective, result in ads that may be difficult to read and understand when used in consumer-directed promotion.
In recent years, FDA has become concerned about the adequacy of the brief summary in DTC print advertisements for prescription drugs. Because the regulations do not specify how to address each risk, sponsors can use discretion in fulfilling the brief summary requirement under ? 202.1(e)(3)(iii). Frequently, sponsors print in small type, verbatim, the risk-related sections of the approved product labeling (also called the package insert, professional labeling, prescribing information, and direction circular).
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.