A new University of Georgia study has determined that most prescription drug ads do not present a fair balance of information when it comes to the risk of side effects.
The average 60-second ad contains less than 8 seconds of side effect disclaimers, and the average 30-second ad has less than 4.4 seconds of disclaimers. Most 15-second ads have no disclaimers at all.
According to the study’s author, the problem is compounded by the fact that the information is often presented in a way that people aren’t likely to comprehend or even pay attention to. Almost all of the ads disclosed side effects solely in voice-over, with only 2.2 percent adding a disclosure in text form.