The Hindu Business Line : Misleading ads

This is with reference to "Health Ministry may clamp down on TV ads for `magic' pills" (Business Line, October 25). While the misleading advertisements take the patients for a ride, the authorities should consider extension of ban against ads in the print media to the electronic media. Taking medicines without medical supervision is quite harmful, especially for those suffering from diabetes, impotency or obesity. While diabetes is treated as a slow killer disease, the other two are usually hormone-related problems.

Consumption of medicines based on ads is as good as self-treatment .The marketing of medicines under the guise of dietary supplements should be restricted. Such items should be sold by bakers or general shops and should not be allowed to be sold through medical shops, by branding them as medicines.

The packs containing such items should specifically exhibit the caption "food item-not medicine". The ads on these also should contain similar narrations in the larger interest of the patients. The Indian Medical Association and the similar organisations should come forward with practical suggestions in dealing with the magic pills products.

C. P. Velayudhan Nair

Kochi

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