Celebrity DTC ads
Executive Summary
The House Energy and Commerce Committee is investigating the practice of having celebrities endorse drugs in direct-to-consumer ads. Their initial target is the appearance of Robert Jarvik, inventor of the artificial heart, in ads for Pfizer's Lipitor. "Dr. Jarvik appears to be giving medical advice, but apparently, he has never obtained a license to practice or prescribe medicine," Committee Chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., says. The divide between legislators and industry on the DTC issue is exemplified by the endorsement given to a Jarvik Lipitor print ad by Coalition for Healthcare Communication Executive Director John Kamp following a CHC petition asking FDA to revise how it applies the fair balance test to DTC ads (1"The Pink Sheet" April 10, 2006, p. 26)...