On October 16 and 17, 1996, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held a public meeting titled Promotion of FDA-Regulated Medical Products on the Internet to discuss issues related to the promotion of FDA-regulated medical products on the Internet. The agency's objective was to receive broad public input and to hear various points of view and opinions on Internet issues from a discussion among interested persons. A discussion group format was used and covered the following topics: Investigational product information, chatrooms and newsgroups, and website links.