Endorsement of PhRMA's guiding principles on direct-to-consumer advertisements

Bristol Myers Squibb has a long-standing commitment to responsible and effective consumer communications, and we are fully committed to adopting the revised direct-to-consumer advertising guidelines.

Bristol Myers Squibb believes responsible direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising can foster informed conversations between patients and their health care professionals about health care, disease and available treatment options. We believe DTC advertising can help educate patients and encourage compliance with prescription drug treatments.

Bristol Myers Squibb is pleased to adopt Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America’s (PhRMA) revised DTC advertising guidelines and applauds the industry’s voluntary efforts to update and strengthen the guidelines. The strengthened DTC advertising guidelines are another positive step in industry self-regulation and an opportunity to build on the strengthened PhRMA Professional Practices Code adopted earlier this year. The revised PhRMA professional practices code will become effective in early January 2009 and the revised PhRMA DTC advertising guidelines will become effective in early March 2009.

To read the revised principles, please visit the PhRMA website at www.phrma.org/.

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