| The Medical and Legal Issues of DTCA
Monday, January 18, 2009 |
American doctors wrote more than 164 million prescriptions for antidepressants in 2008, much of that due to a barrage of direct to consumer advertising that has swept over media. Aside from the social implications, how does massive advertising of drugs impact how lawyers approach pharmaceutical product litigation and what inevitably happens in a courtroom?
Tonight live at 7:00 p.m., The American Law Journal presents "Ask Your Doctor If ___________ is Right for You: The Legal and Medical Aspects of Direct to Consumer Drug Advertising" with plaintiffs' attorney Stephen Sheller of Sheller, P.C. and pharmaceutical defense attorney Raymond Williams of DLA Piper. Joining the attorneys is physician Frank J.E. Falco, M.D. of the Mid-Atlantic Spine & Pain Physicians practice in Delaware and Maryland. Dr. Falco is the Vice President of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians.The program will address advertising of all pharmaceutical drugs, with an emphasis on antidepressants and the burgeoning arena of antipsychotics.
"The question could be asked, are the ads informational to the point where it could shift some of the responsibility away from the doctor as [sole] learned intermediary?" states Williams, "this advertising can sometimes lend itself to a failure to warn issue."
Despite growing litigation in the area of antipsychotic drugs, "we're seeing more 'if you're antidepressant isn't doing enough for you' ads," says Sheller, "and with the FDA approving their use for children, it is a huge moral question."
Viewers are welcome to call the program, watch for the 800# onscreen.
For viewers outside the coverage area, the program will stream live 7:00-8:00pm on www.WFMZ.com. Free links to download the program are available by request from info@lawjournaltv.com while the program's website is under renovation.
The American Law Journal airs weekly on Mondays at 7PM on WFMZ-TV 69 seen throughout the tri-state region. For more information, go to www.LawJournalTV.com.
Next week: "Workers' Compensation: The Lawyer, the Client, and the Adjuster." |
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