WASHINGTON — TV ads for prescription drugs sometimes include a list of risks so lengthy, you may stress out just listening.
It’s partly why the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday will announce a study to decide whether those seemingly endless lists can be shortened.
The FDA said it’s concerned that the list “is often too long” and may “reduce consumer comprehension” and sensitivity to dangers.
There is already research suggesting that many patients, notably older ones, essentially ignore warning labels.
A 2012 study by Kansas State and Michigan State universities suggested that some warning labels simply may not attract sufficient attention.
There are estimates that many millions of medication errors take place each year due to such inattention.
When it comes to TV ads, the FDA concedes there are differing views about curtailing the mention of side effects. Some people worry about the downside of leaving out important information.
One possibility is to limit stated risks to those “that are serious and actionable,” the FDA said. The ad then would admit it’s not a full list of side effects and urge the viewer to study the label and talk to his or her doctor.
The FDA study will take place over the Internet and involve more than 15,000 adults inspecting four different versions of a TV ad, then responding to online questions.
One ad will present all the risks of a drug, similar to what viewers now see.
A second version will include that statement but also indicate there are “additional risks.”
A third version will have a short statement of risks without disclosure there are more. The fourth will be the same short statement but note there are other, unidentified risks.
Participants will not include anybody from the health care or marketing fields, since they may not reflect the typical consumer.
The entire process, the FDA said, will take about 30 minutes for each participant.
The FDA is giving the public 60 days to comment on the whole idea before it proceeds.
