Spitz Weighs in: FDA Guidance on Product Name, Size & Prominence

Written by Michael Spitz, VP of Engagement Planning, Ignite Health

The FDA’s recent guidance regarding “Product Name Placement, Size, and Prominence in Advertising and Promotional Labeling” features a section of particular interest to digital marketers called “Electronic and Computer-Based Promotional Labeling and Advertisements.”

Here the dual presentation of the established and proprietary names of a drug is stipulated for when the proprietary name is part of the running text (headlines, taglines, etc.), and if the running text spans more than one screen. By calling attention and providing name placement guidance for electronic text going to multiple pages, the FDA is beginning to think about the qualities of digital content, as qualitatively distinct from print and broadcast media—might this new approach usher in an era of FDA guidance specifically focused on the unique and increasingly pressing needs of the digital space?

Only time will tell, but all the signs point to this fresh and very welcome perspective.