Theoretically the physician and pharmacy would be the buffer between the patient and the drug to provide the safety net. But now, it just isn't that simple. Recently the FDA officially made a request to Hoffmann-La Roche, a major pharmaceutical powerhouse, that they remove their media advertising regarding the weight loss drug they manufacture, Xenical. Xenical has been pushed everywhere as the newest and the most safe alternative to the more dangerous diet drugs we have seen in the past, such as Phen-phen and Redux. The issue, the FDA says, is about side effects not being properly announced in the advertising.
Drug advertising is a relatively new thing.
Amongst those requirements is the listing of the most common side effects and the statement about the drug not being for everyone. Xenical, according the FDA is not abiding with this. They were required to respond to the FDA on this matter by April 13 and comply or pull the ads. That in itself is not really a big deal, certainly not worthy of a mention in a column that deals with Public Health Issues. But what I found as I was looking into this, is worthy of note.