The FDA is taking a look at how teenagers understand pharmaceutical advertising. Bloomberg reports that the regulator’s attempt at a mind-meld includes creating ads for fake prescription acne and ADHD drugs and comparing teen responses to those of parents and young adults.
Bloomberg says the goal is to determine if some drugs require going beyond fair balance and into what the news service describes as “more care” when advertising online.
As examples, the FDA noted in its study document that:
“Given the potential stigma of acne and adolescents’ heightened concerns about peer perceptions, marketing that emphasizes these two features in subtle ways might minimize the attention given to any risk information provided. This suggests the need to systematically explore the role of various factors that would be expected to influence adolescent decision-making, such as peer and family perceptions of stigma.”
