Will The FDA Succeed In Reining In Risk Info In Drug Ads?

Earlier this month the U.S. Food & Drug Administration issued a request for feedback from the public about a topic that anyone who watches TV knows all too well: the laundry list of side effects included in every advertisement for a prescription drug. The agency has spent years conducting research that has raised questions about whether consumers actually understand the risks of prescription drugs when they’re quickly rattled off at the end of ads—often accompanied by cheerful but distracting images of playful dogs or dancing people.