Parents group, companies alert public about ED ads

An organization that advocates responsible entertainment has launched an initiative to alert parents about broadcast television programs that contain advertisements for erectile dysfunction drugs.

The Parents Television Council (PTC) receives weekly broadcast schedules from Eli Lilly & Co. and Pfizer, Inc. The advertising schedules are made available to the public on PTC’s Web site at www.parentstv.org/ed.

"We are grateful to Lilly and Pfizer for sharing their broadcast television ad buys with us so we can inform our members and the public about where the ads will air," said Tim Winter of the PTC. "This is an important first step in addressing the concerns many parents have about advertisements for ED drugs."

PTC began working with pharmaceutical companies to address parents’ concerns about ED advertisements 2 years ago when a representative spoke at Lilly’s annual shareholders meeting. PTC then opened discussions with Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline and found that all three pharmaceutical companies were eager to address parents’ concerns by making their media buys public. GlaxoSmithKline later discontinued television advertising.

"Our goal is not to discourage viewers from watching programs that contain the ads, but simply to inform parents about where they will air and let them decide how to address the issue with their children," Winter said.