Direct-to-Consumer Television Advertising: Time to Turn Off the Tube?

Excerpt

The 1997 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Modernization Act (FDAMA) relaxed regulation of direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of pharmaceutical and other medical products, allowing marketers to create advertisements that name branded products and conditions treated, along with a “major statement” of the most important product risks and reference to additional sources of information (usually the manufacturers’ websites).1 Previously, marketers were required to include a “brief summary” of side effects, contraindications, and effectiveness1 that was generally too long for television advertisements, essentially limiting their use. Since FDAMA was enacted, DTC pharmaceutical marketing rose from $700 million in advertisement spending in 1996 to $5.4 billion in 2006 (a nearly 800 % increase); more recent estimates from 2010 suggest spending of $4.3 billion.2 …