College backs professorial call for ad ban

College backs professorial call for ad ban

The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners is backing the call for a ban on direct to consumer advertising of prescription medicines – and supports the call for an independent health information service.

The call for a ban is contained in a report to Health Minister Annette King from professors of general practice from medical schools around the country.

“Consumers need accurate, unbiased information,” College president Dr Helen Rodenburg said, adding this need had previously been flagged by the College’s own Consumer Liaison Committee.

“Our people have continually emphasised the importance of being able to rely on an impeccable, unbiased source for such vital information.”

Dr Rodenburg congratulated the authors of the report on its delivery to the Health Minister, and also on the outcome of a University of Otago internal investigation, which cleared the authors of charges of unethical research laid by the Advertising Standards Authority.

“These people are the academic leadership of our profession. It reaffirms their academic independence,” she said.

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