Maryanne Demasi, reports

Maryanne Demasi, reports

Share this post

Maryanne Demasi, reports
Maryanne Demasi, reports
Time to ban drug advertising on TV in America?
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More

Time to ban drug advertising on TV in America?

Direct-To-Consumer Advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs is back in the headlines after Robert F. Kennedy Jr made an election promise to ban it.

Maryanne Demasi, PhD's avatar
Maryanne Demasi, PhD
May 31, 2023
∙ Paid
164

Share this post

Maryanne Demasi, reports
Maryanne Demasi, reports
Time to ban drug advertising on TV in America?
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
75
18
Share
Photo credit: Jason Hoffman/Thrillist&nbsp

Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr recently said that if he becomes president, he will ban pharmaceutical advertising on US television.

“It’s not good to have pharmaceutical advertising on TV,” said Kennedy. “It’s good for the television stations, it’s good for the pharmaceutical companies, but it’s not good for public health.”

The US and New Zealand are the only two nations globally that allow drug companies to promote their products directly to the consumer – known as direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA). 

Kennedy said that because of pharmaceutical advertising in the US, Americans use more prescription drugs than anywhere else in the world, and yet, they have the worst outcomes.

Americans have the lowest life expectancy compared to other wealthy nations and the highest rate of avoidable deaths, despite spending nearly 18% of GDP on healthcare in 2021.

Kennedy told me he blames “the influence of the pharmaceutical lobby in Washington, and indirectly, the influence of media companies that earn some $18 billion in revenue annually from direct-to-consumer drug advertising.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. delivers a speech announcing his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination in Boston, Massachusetts, April 19, 2023

Drug advertising in the US

In the 80s, there were few prescription drug ads broadcast on US TV because the regulatory standard made it difficult to provide adequate information about drug labelling to consumers. David Kessler, FDA Commissioner between 1990 and 1997, also vigorously opposed DTCA.

This post is for paid subscribers

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Maryanne Demasi
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share

Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More