| Abstract |
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Purpose: In India, pharmaceutical advertising is governed by �The Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954�, and �The Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945�. These acts do not specify the �minimum essential information requirements� for an advertisement, keeping this area ill-defined. The �Organization of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI)�, in its �Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices�, provides a guideline for the information requirements in advertisements. Our study is intended to analyze the �completeness of information content�, in pharmaceutical advertisements, published in 2009-10 in Indian Scientific journals, in the context of OPPI code.
Method: Indian Scientific Journals (2009-10 issues) were surveyed for pharmaceutical advertisements. Advertisements were classified as �Full� or �Reminder� advertisements and were separately analyzed for the presence of information on �Brand name�; �Active ingredient(s)�; �Marketer�s Name and Address�; �Date of Production of advertisement�; �Abbreviated Prescribing Information (only for Full advertisements)� and �Overall completeness�. Data was expressed as absolute numbers and percentage.
Results: Full advertisements (n=34) demonstrated 41.2% of �Overall completeness�. �Date� was missing in 52.9%, while �Marketer�s Name and Address� in 17.6% of advertisements. �Active ingredient� was mentioned in all, while �Abbreviated Prescribing Information� was complete in 97.1% of Full advertisements. Reminder advertisements (n=134) demonstrated 10.4% of �Overall completeness�. �Date� was missing in 88.1%, �Marketer�s Name and Address� in 29.1% and �Active ingredient� in 8.2% of Reminder advertisements.
Conclusion: Low percentage of completeness, as observed in our study, indicates a lack of adherence to OPPI code and need for mandatory regulations, to ensure information completeness in pharmaceutical advertisements. |
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