Posted on 02/24/2025 7:11:53 PM PST by TigerClaws
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will put immense pressure on the FDA to ban pharma ads on TV if he’s confirmed as HHS secretary. He has repeatedly advocated to ban drug ads on TV and radio, even as recently as November. The US is one of only two countries (New Zealand being the other) where D2C pharma advertising is completely legal. Kennedy believes lax pharma ad rules have led to an overreliance on prescription medications among Americans.
He also believes pharma companies account for too much of TV ad spending, leaving media companies less likely to cover the sector critically. Prescription drug ads accounted for nearly one-third (30.7%) of commercial time on evening news programs across six major broadcast channels (ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and NBC) last year through Dec. 15, according to data from iSpot.tv cited by the Wall Street Journal.
There will be support for a drug advertising ban across the government. Brendan Carr, Trump’s pick to lead the FCC, said in a November interview that the agency could enforce a ban established by Congress or the HHS. And Vice President-elect JD Vance said on the campaign trail that he would explore stricter regulations of D2C pharma advertising. Bills to restrict or prohibit D2C drug ads have been introduced in the past yet typically lacked support from GOP lawmakers. But if a Republican-led administration pushes for a ban, previously hesitant members of Congress could be swayed.
We think enacting regulations or laws forbidding drug ads on broadcast media will be extremely difficult. The FCC’s move to prohibit cigarette ads on TV and radio in the 1970s will be a precedent for supporters of a pharma ad ban. Pharmaceuticals are a different case though, since they do have evidence-backed health benefits. Lobbying groups representing drug companies and media networks will cite First Amendment protections to prevent an outright ban from materializing.
But pharma companies should still prepare for more scrutiny of their TV commercials. For example, we may see renewed support for a rule that Trump tried to enact during his first term that would have required drug companies to reveal the list prices for medications over $35 per month in TV ads.
Between this and yanking their USAID funding, this could topple some of the MSM agitprop weapons.
Holy Cow! TV and streaming will go broke.
Wouldn’t that be special. It would ALMOST make the boob tube watchable again.
AP, Reuters, NYT, Politico = all propped up with our tax dollars.
I never see drug ads on Fox News, Newsmax, etc.
Yank ‘em.
I remember when drug ads and attorney ads were banned from the airways. We were healthier then.
I think this is the part most people don't understand when it comes to banning advertising. If the networks are making tons of money from pharma there's not much motivation in reporting bad stories.
Whatever will Fox do? LOLOLOL
Ads we never used to see on TV:
Prescription meds
Lawyers
Gambling
Whiskey
etc
I’ve been saying this for years now. Watch the evening news on any of the networks. It’s 1 minute of news and 2 minutes of pharma ads.
You’re correct, it’s to stop any negative publicity.
Dear lord this would be amazing. My wife and are both SO sick of these ads.
Most of the time the reason to take the drug is briefly mentioned so much you have no idea what the hell it’s for. SO SICK of them.
-SB
Cigarette ads are still banned anyways.
Faux news will get the sads - big pharma literally owns them.
When a higher up from one of the biggies got caught by the on hidden camera by the veritus founder and had a total freakout - not one word was mentioned on Fox.
Anyone remember that?
He has an uphill battle and I am not impressed by anything of his role yet.
On this topic, when he successfully both gets ads banned and makes it illegal to court doctors as they have for decades, wake me.
Not sure who came up with the plan, but it’s a beautiful way to obliterate some of the enemy without firing one shot or dropping one bomb.
All through the day, if I am watching tv at any time, all I hear during any commercials is the disgusting side effects.
Bring back the cigarette and liquor commercials.
Never quite understood purpose of the pharmaceutical ads. I usually don’t know what disease or symptom they supposedly are for, lots of things mentioned that can go wrong if you use, and I just can’t go out and purchase without prescription.
Just think about the ED and PE medicines. They are so distasteful they can not describe the symptoms they treat without using abrevistions.
That should be a indication how bad these ads are.
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