WebMD Teams With FDA for New Online Consumer Health Information
source of health information, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration today
announced a collaboration that expands consumers’ access to the agency’s
timely and reliable important health information. This joint effort reflects
the FDA’s emphasis on using innovative, technology-based strategies to carry
out its foremost mission, which is to promote and to protect the public
health.
WebMD, which attracts nearly 50 million unique visitors each month,
provides consumers with credible and timely health news and information.
“We are enthusiastic about this collaboration with WebMD because it will
enable us to reach more consumers with accurate, science-based information
that can help them improve their health,” said
commissioner of food and drugs. “This is an important step forward in our
effort to form partnerships to help bring timely safety alerts and other
public health information to a wider audience in the most effective and
convenient way.”
The partnership includes:
— A new online consumer health information resource on WebMD.com
(www.webmd.com/fda): Consumers can access information on the safety of
FDA-regulated products, including food, medicine and cosmetics, as well as
learn how to report problems involving the safety of these products directly
to the FDA. In addition, WebMD will bring the FDA public health alerts to all
WebMD registered users and site visitors that request them. The cross-linked
joint resource will also feature FDA’s Consumer Updates — timely and
easy-to-read articles that are also posted on the FDA’s main consumer Web page
(www.fda.gov/consumer).
— The FDA contributions to WebMD the Magazine: FDA Consumer Updates will
also be featured at least three times a year in WebMD’s bimonthly magazine,
which reaches nearly nine million consumers. The magazine is distributed to
physician office waiting rooms across the country.
“As a leading brand of health information, we are pleased to be partnering
with the FDA to provide consumers with public health and safety information,
direct from the source,” says
executive officer. “This important partnership is consistent with WebMD’s
longstanding mission of providing for Americans access to credible and
relevant health information.”
Consumers have increasingly consulted all types of sources to find health
information, and the Internet is their fastest growing resource, according to
a national study released in
System Change. Researchers found that 32 percent of American consumers — 70
million adults — conducted online health searches in 2007, compared with 16
percent in 2001.
The study also found that most consumers who researched health concerns
reported positive outcomes. More than half of those surveyed said the
information changed their overall approach to maintaining their health. Four
in five said the information helped them better understand how to treat an
illness or condition.
The complete terms and components of the partnership are described in a
Memorandum of Understanding which is on display today at the Federal Register
office and available online at
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/oc/ohrms/advdisplay.cfm.
An agency policy statement summarizing the criteria and processes for
development of such partnerships is available on the FDA’s Web site at
www.fda.gov/consumer/cobrand_policy.html.
About WebMD
WebMD Health Corp. (Nasdaq: WBMD) is a leading provider of health
information services, serving consumers, physicians, healthcare professionals,
employers and health plans through our public and private online portals and
health-focused publications. WebMD Health Corp. is a subsidiary of HLTH
Corporation (Nasdaq: HLTH). The WebMD Health Network reaches approximately 50
million visitors a month through its leading owned and operated health sites
that include WebMD Health, Medscape, MedicineNet, eMedicine, eMedicine Health,
RxList and theheart.org.
SOURCE WebMD