J&J decides to balance drug risks and benefits in DTC ads

Saturday I posted about an Economist editorial calling for an increased emphasis on risk/benefit assessment of marketed drugs. The editorial suggested it would be in the drug companies' long term interest to embrace this approach.Today's Wall St. Journal reports that J&J is:

...unveiling a new approach to TV and print campaigns... putting drug risks on a more equal footing with drug benefits.

In a speech Friday to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), where he is now the chairman, J&J CEO William Weldon said:

"If our industry is to retain the important right to talk directly to consumers, each of our companies in its own way must work to make DTC what it very definitely can be --a way to educate and counsel consumers in improving their health."