Push for a Return to Pre-1997 Regulation of Prescription Drug Advertising

The United States is one of only two countries where it is legal to advertise prescription drugs directly to consumers. Direct-to-consumer advertisements (DTCAs) have over-medicated and under informed the American consumer. Advertisements affect what doctors prescribe, what medications are viewed as “good” medications, and how fast new medicine is put on the market. Simply put, when profits are put first, consumer health is thrown to the wayside. We need to adequately inform consumers without deceiving them, return doctors to the role of doctor as opposed to prescriber, and put consumer health first. The pre-1997 regulations forced pharmaceutical companies to better inform the consumer and did not allow much room for deception. This is what we need to return to.