While the partnership between WebMD & the FDA isn’t new (see Junkfood Science Post for past information), there was a recent announcement about expanding the partnership.
I am very leery and skeptical of a paternship between WebMD & the FDA. Why? Well if you haven’t visited the WebMD site lately then you’ve missed all of the wonderful drug ads. Let me start by saying I have nothing against the WebMD site. It does offer useful information and clearly states consumers should consult their physician, and states some items are written by ’sponsored’ parties. The problem I have is with all of the ads and the fact that they do let “3rd parties” write post:
Wait, where is the FDA information? And did I miss the ad? If you look closely the very first item on WebMD is an ad. It is kind of hard to tell, at least to me. There is no mention of a drug company just a statement “See how it affects the arteries.” This ad is on the page twice, but where is the FDA link or information?
So the FDA information is almost at the bottom of the page? What about being proud “to partner with the FDA to help Americans live healthier lives”? Why wouldn’t the FDA link and information be at the top of the page?!?
Well what happens if I click on the ‘advertisement’ link:
The article pulls up and is very interactive… but what is the small line under the title “Sponsored by” mean?
Wow. So who wrote this? I cannot say who wrote the article, it is not clear to me (please point it out if you see it). I can say there are TONS of ads for a certain drug.
Now, I will say WebMD or whoever wrote this page did put in references about contacting your medical professional and even:
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Wait, what happened to the link to the WebMD FDA information? I don’t see it on this page. Plus all of the ads for the drug take up tons of space and you barely notice the text about contacting your physician or the FDA, or at least I barely notice it.
WebMD does not say who these “3rd parties” are; however, with all of the ads, it ‘leads’ me to believe some of the articles are written by pharmaceutical companies. I cannot say who wrote these articles since it is not clear on the page to me. Yes, there is a note saying it was written by another party other than WebMD but would people easily see this information?
The WebMD FDA page is free of all ads:
What happens though if I use the search box at the top of the WebMD FDA page?
I searched from the WebMD FDA page, but the first few items are actually advertisement links?!? The actual first item in the list, below the advertisement links, actually takes you back into WebMD….
Wait, I thought I was on the WebMD FDA site? I’m confused.
Yes, the search box at the top had a watermark of WebMD in the search box, which probably was an indication that it was only for searching WebMD and not WebMD FDA, but is that really clear?
WebMD does state all over the website that consumers should consult their physician, that
WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
The question becomes can the consumer make this distinction or are the waters too muddy? The FDA has partnered with WebMD because:
“We see partners like WebMD as critical to helping us reach the public with important health information” said Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D., Commissioner of Food and Drugs.
The FDA, whether they meant to or not, has attached their name to WebMD. In a time when new rules are being established to separate hospitals, physicians, etc. from pharmaceutical companies the FDA has attached itself to a website which clearly displays tons of pharmaceutical company ads and has articles written by “sponsors.” In my opinion, this has only muddied the waters. It also reminds me of the “ghosted” articles in medical journals, but the difference is WebMD does put a link saying it is sponsored by a unaffiliated 3rd party.
Maybe I am wrong. Consumers may check all of the references, sponsored by links, etc. on every page and not be influenced by the ads.
Personally, I would have liked to see the FDA partner with MedlinePlus and then advertise MedlinePlus more.
**Note: The comments in this post are my own and are written by me, Alisha Miles. They are not sponsored by, endorsed by, encouraged, or written by anyone else including any person, organization and/or company. The screen-shots have been taken directly from WebMD. The screen-shots have been cropped to only include the WebMD page and not include the internet browser toolbar(s). Besides cropping out irrelevant items outside the WebMD page, the screen-shots have not been altered. They have been utilized to illustrate the details and location of ads and not as an endorsement of any website or anything else. The author does not endorse, condone, approve or disapprove of any of the content in the links, pictures, ads, or screenshots utilized in this post. Also, the content on WebMD has not been questioned on this post, merely the use of ads and articles by ’sponsored’ parties.***
