U.S. Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.), along with co-sponsors Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), have introduced legislation (S. 1763) to disallow the federal tax deduction for all advertising and marketing expenses for prescription drugs. There are rumblings that the senators would like to have the proposal added to the health-care reform legislation, and the possibility exists that they may offer it as an amendment when the proposed bill is considered by the full Senate.
Former Food and Drug Administration associate commissioner Peter Pitts, now the president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, said the proposed legislation to cut the ad tax deductibility endangers more than just the health-care reform bill.
"What this endangers is the public health, as every survey -- including those done by the FDA -- show that DTC advertising, beyond helping to sell product, actually increases the health literacy of the American health consumer," he said. "Such a move is actually an anti-health reform amendment and is nothing more than grandstanding by a long-time opponent of the pharmaceutical industry [Mr. Brown] and a 'Saturday Night Live' alum [Mr. Franken]. Painting pharmaceutical marketing as an 'enemy' of health reform is like saying automotive advertising is the enemy of emissions control."
Center for Medicine in the Public Interest is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization promoting innovative solutions that advance medical progress, reduce health disparities, extend life and make health care more affordable, preventive and patient-centered. CMPI also provides the public, policymakers and the media a reliable source of independent scientific analysis on issues ranging from personalized medicine, food and drug safety, health care reform and comparative effectiveness.
