FDA Social Media Hearing: Day 1 Thoughts
posted by Leah WisemanThursday, November 12th, 2009
Today was the first day of a two-day FDA hearing on the internet and social media, or as it is entered into the Federal Register, “Public Hearing on Promotion of Food and Drug Administration-Regulated Medical Products Using the Internet and Social Media Tools.” The last time the FDA addressed this topic was in 1996, and most everyone has welcomed the hearing as the first step in a process toward more specific guidance from the FDA.
After listening to 33 presentations, it became clear that there are areas where many stakeholders agree. A few that stood out to me:
- Patients are online. A growing number of Americans are already seeking health information and interaction online (data from the Pew Internet & American Life Project was cited by multiple speakers).
- Industry has a role. The conversation is already happening and industry should be a part of it, particularly because the industry is well suited to ensure patients have access to accurate product indication and safety information.
- Links should be embraced. The internet functions differently than other media, and links are the normal method of navigation – many presenters expressed support of a “one-click” rule for this reason.
- Content ownership and responsibility. Industry should be responsible for content they develop or control; however, while industry should monitor social media, there should not be an obligation to monitor and respond to user-developed content.
We’ll report back with another recap following tomorrow’s full day of speakers. And I’ll leave you with one of the examples used by Mary Ann Belliveau and Amy Cowan of Google when demonstrating how consumers search for health information: In September, 1.6 million people searched “breast cancer” through Google. (Wow!)
