WASHINGTON—Pharmaceutical executives on Thursday will face scrutiny from lawmakers concerned their industry sometimes misleads consumers by overstating the benefits of drugs in TV commercials.
Executives from Pfizer Inc., Johnson & Johnson and Merck and Schering Plough's joint venture are scheduled to testify Thursday before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Each of the companies have recently discontinued advertisements for blockbuster medications that were criticized as being potentially misleading.
The pharmaceutical industry's main trade group recently issued advertising guidelines designed to make sure company promotions are accurate and balanced. The group says television advertisements give patients important information about diseases and treatments.
Television marketing has become a cornerstone of the pharmaceutical business since regulators first allowed the practice a decade ago. Companies spent $3.5 billion on spots last year.
But some lawmakers and consumer advocates say the advertisements often gloss over drug risks and encourage overprescribing of medications. Last year Democrats tried unsuccessfully to pass a law that would ban consumer-directed advertisements during the first three years after a drug's approval. They are expected to make a similar push later this year.
Wednesday's 10 a.m. EDT hearing will focus on three advertisements that have drawn negative scrutiny from the committee's chairman, John Dingell, D-Mich.
Earlier this year Pfizer discontinued its signature ads for Lipitor, the best-selling drug in the world, after Dingell raised questions about the credentials of spokesman Dr. Robert Jarvik, inventor of the artificial heart.
Dingell said that Jarvik was unqualified to give medical device since he is not a licensed physician. While he did earn a medical degree, Jarvik acknowledges he never completed the certification tests needed to practice medicine.
Dingell's committee is also probing whether Merck & Co. Inc. and Schering-Plough Corp. oversold the benefits of their drug Vytorin in television advertisements. Both companies' stocks have slumped since January when they revealed Vytorin was no better at stopping fatty plaque build-up than a low-cost generic. Sales of Vytorin grew to over $5 billion last year with the help of heavy television advertising.
Lawmakers will also focus on an advertisement for Johnson & Johnson's anemia drug Procrit which Dingell says may have overstated the medicine's benefits.
Representatives from the American Medical Association and Kaiser Family Foundation are scheduled to testify on the effect advertisements have on doctors and patients.
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