Patients and Physicians Celebrate Passage of Bill to Safeguard Texans from Deceptive 'Bad Drug' Advertisements

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Partnership to Protect Patient Health applauds bill sponsors Senator Dawn Buckingham and Representative Giovanni Capriglione, and thanks the Texas legislature and Governor Abbott for passing and signing to law SB1189, which safeguards Texans from deceptive "bad drug" advertisements. 

The bill protects patients by requiring advertisements to properly warn patients that it is dangerous to stop taking a prescribed medication before consulting with a physician. The legislation does not limit or ban drug-injury advertisements, rather, it protects vulnerable populations by ensuring they have the information necessary to make the best decisions for their health regarding prescription drug use.

"We applaud the governor and the legislature for putting the health of patients first and ensuring that vulnerable populations are protected from these misleading and dangerous advertisements," said Mellanie True Hills, founder of Stopafib.org. "All medical decisions should be made between patients and their doctors, without the influence of these bad drug ads. SB1189 will ensure that this remains the case."

Driven by firms who want to profit from class-action lawsuits, these ads perpetuate misinformation about FDA-approved medications. Their "health warnings" have the appearance of being government-sponsored public safety announcements. They can drive viewers, particularly senior citizens, to abruptly discontinue the life-saving medications prescribed by their physicians.

The Partnership to Protect Patient Health recently surveyed 500 medical providers and 800 patients to understand their perspectives about "bad drug" ads and how they influence decision-making.

• A quarter of patients who saw these ads stopped treatment without even consulting their physician
• 58% of physicians reported that a patient stopped taking his or her medication after seeing one of these ads
• Physicians overwhelmingly expressed the need for stronger regulation of attorney advertising - 90% agreed there should be rules in place

Learn more about "Why 'Bad Drug' Ads are Bad for Patients" at https://bit.ly/2X1Bgsy.

About Partnership to Protect Patient Health

The Partnership to Protect Patient Health is a coalition of diverse stakeholders, including patients, health care providers, researchers and caregivers, that raises awareness among policymakers and the media about the implications of "bad drug" commercials. The organization aims to protect the relationship between the patient and his or her health care provider by:

• Ensuring patient health and safety are top priorities;
• Facilitating a dialogue about how misleading drug-injury advertising puts patient safety at risk by circumventing the critical relationship between doctor and patient;
• Supporting the education of patients, health care providers, policymakers and other stakeholders; and
• Encouraging patients to consult their health care providers with questions or concerns about their prescribed medications.

Members of the Partnership to Protect Patient Health include: Alliance for Patient Access, Alliance for Aging Research, National Infusion Center Association, Caregiver Action Network, Men's Health Network, Partnership to Advance Cardiovascular Health, Heart Rhythm Society, Healthy Women, Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association, National Blood Clot Alliance, Lupus and Allied Diseases Association, Inc., Mended Hearts, Global Healthy Living Foundation, StopAfib.org, and Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition.

Contact:
Susan Hepworth
[email protected]

SOURCE Partnership to Protect Patient Health

Related Links

http://www.protectpatienthealth.org