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FDA Social Media Hearings: Day 1 Wrap Up

by DONNA MARIA COLES JOHNSON on November 2, 2009

Today, I attended via webcast the FDA’s hearings on the use of social media to promote medical devices and drugs. The hearings started at 8:00 this morning and I listened uninterrupted until around 3:00, and then off and on after that. The speakers included drug companies (including some that also make cosmetics, such as Johnson & Johnson), medical device manufacturers and suppliers, physicians groups, health-focused websites and bloggers (all sponsored by drugs and medical device companies), industry and advertising trade organizations, public interest and consumer groups, attorneys and social media strategists.

healthcare devices and drugs

An “individual consumer” is listed as a speaker, and I presume she will speak tomorrow. Each speaker spoke for an allotted period of time (some were allotted a lot more time than others), and the FDA officials present were given a chance to ask questions after each presentation. The FDA representative were fully engaged and asked a lot of good questions on all sides of the issues presented. The hearings will conclude tomorrow but I will not be able to attend. The FDA has promised to make a full transcript publicly available (though it’s not clear whether there will be a charge for them). When it does, I will share the link with you, along with more of my impressions. Continue Reading…

On September 23, Senator Al Franken (D-Minn) introduced the Household Product Labeling Act. You can read the full text here (only 4 pages — yay!), and you can read the Senator’s press release here.

The Act requires that the product label for all household cleaning products include all of the ingredients in that household cleaning product. “Household cleaning product” is defined as follows: household cleaning products, air fresheners, deodorizers, floor and furniture polish, dishwashing soap, drain cleaners, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, epoxies and paints or stains.

The language in this bill is pretty straightforward, but there are a few issues that may or may not need to be addressed as we move forward. Here are some of them: Continue Reading…