Are there public health consequences when regulators turn a blind eye to cross border advertising that contravenes national laws? Although Canada prohibits direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs, no steps are taken to prevent US advertising from reaching the Canadian public. The linked study by Law and colleagues (doi: 10.1136/bmj.a1055), provides compelling evidence that this does have consequences for public health and of the need for better regulatory oversight. (Editorial)

The objective of the study was to assess the impact of direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs in the United States on Canadian prescribing rates for three heavily marketed drugs—etanercept, mometasone, and tegaserod.

Original Source

Scientific evidence from hundreds of studies over the past 25 years confirms that breastfeeding

Radio and television announcements advised patients with surgical problems in the rural areas of Osun State, Nigeria, to report at any of the nine zonal headquarters of the state which were closest to their homes in order to receive free treatment. Over 1000 patients reported and 801 received operations on a rotational basis within nine weeks.