For a couple of years now, the Stiftung Warentest and its magazine test have informed the FRG consumer about groups of drugs primarily administered through self-medication (Over-The-Counter drugs = OTC). These reports are based on descriptions and assessments of drugs available on the market, test's ongoing effort in this field is unique on the European consumer scene.
So far 500 --primarily OTC --drugs related to 24 fields of application were discussed in test. Only less than half of the drugs received the positive recommendation "suitable for therapy." The enclosed package leaflet was examined with respect to the comprehensiveness and intelligibility of the statements made. The results obtained were similar.
The reports are a permanent reminder of the regulatory deficit of the German Federal Health Office (Bundesgesundheitsamt = BGA) whose decisions frequently show no evidence of an active stance in favour of consumer interests. Another aim is to reduce the drug producers' information and marketing monopoly. Basically, the test reports constitute an attempt to introduce more rationality into the drug area and thereby to improve the consumer's drug safety. Some years ago, Stiftung W a r e n t e s t --a private g o v e r n m e n t -s p o nsored f o u n d a t i o n --started to dedicate four or five issues a year of its m o n t h l y c o n s u m e r journal test to the discussion of groups of drugs primarily administered in self-medication ( O v e r -T h e -C o u n t e r drugs = OTC). These reports are based on descriptions and assessments of drugs available on the market, test's ongoing effort in this field is u n i q u e on the E u r o p e a n c o n s u m e r scene, especially since the initiative was not the idea of a team of journalists purely interested in its publicity effect. T h e following c o n t r i b u t i o n will examine the detailed reasons test had and still has for attempting to tackle the pharmaceutical market and will dwell on how it goes about this task, how the effort has b e e n received by its readers, and the results that have b e e n achieved.