ACCP Position Statement: "Drug Lawsuit Advertisements and the Importance of Physician Consultation Prior to Voluntary Medication Withdrawal or Transition"

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American College of Clinical Pharmacology

Jan 10, 2023, 08:50 ET

ASHBURN, Va., Jan. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent Position Paper from the American College of Clinical Pharmacology^® (ACCP) entitled "Drug Lawsuit Advertisements and the Importance of Physician Consultation Prior to Voluntary Medication Withdrawal or Transition" has been published on the topic of drug lawsuit advertisements and the importance of healthcare provider consultation prior to making voluntary treatment decisions. This position highlights the need for greater patient awareness and education concerning the potential for inaccurate and misleading statements made in advertisements supporting drug lawsuit recruitment campaigns. The nature of some legal messaging has raised concerns over the years regarding patient safety when decisions to abruptly stop the medication are taken without first consulting with a medical professional. As such, ACCP stresses that when appropriate, health professionals should discuss these campaigns with their patients to ensure a medically and scientifically balanced understanding of the risks and benefits of their current care is provided prior to stopping or transitioning to alternative treatments without the healthcare provider's knowledge.

ACCP strongly recommends greater patient awareness and education concerning the potential for inaccurate and misleading statements made in advertisements supporting drug lawsuit recruitment campaigns. When appropriate, health professionals should discuss these campaigns with their patients to ensure a medically and scientifically balanced understanding of the risks and benefits of their current care is provided prior to stopping or transitioning to alternative treatments. The ACCP also strongly recommends that all plaintiff recruitment advertising, regardless of modality, for pharmaceutical lawsuits should include a prominent warning that patients should first consult with a healthcare provider before discontinuing any prescribed medication to ensure the safe withdrawal or transition of the product occurs, when clinically warranted.

This statement was published to stress the need for greater patient awareness and education concerning the potential for inaccurate and misleading statements made in advertisements supporting drug lawsuit recruitment campaigns and to ensure patients consult with a health professional prior to voluntarily withdrawing or transitioning to another therapy.

About ACCP

ACCP is a non-profit association providing accredited Continuing Education, publications and career-enhancing opportunities to clinical pharmacology healthcare professionals.

SOURCE American College of Clinical Pharmacology