Can pharmaceutical

companies advertise
prescribed drugs to
buyers?
Md. Mehadul Islam
 01
Introduction to
DTC advertising
What is DTC
advertising?
DTC advertising or Direct-To-Customer advertising
involves brands, in our case pharmaceutical
companies, selling goods directly to customers.
The most common types of DTC adverts
Product claim Reminder ads Help-seeking
ads ads

One of the most common forms of DTC advertising involves prescription pharmaceuticals.
In 1981, Merck the pharmaceutical company debuted direct to customer advertising with posters
promoting its pneumonia vaccine.
 02
The regulatory
Landscape
The FDA’s enforcements.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
published a final rule ensuring the DTC TV/radio
commercials to convey a truthful and non
misleading net impression on the drug along with its
potential risks.
The regulations that specify the product claim advertisements :

» Cannot be false or misleading

» Must present a fair balance between the risks and the benefits of a drug product
» Must reveal facts that are material to the representations made in the advertisement or the
consequences of using

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=ZTMLjB5rGDY&ab_channel=ST
AT
 Cons of DTC
Advertising
Overprescribing: Critics argue that DTC
advertising may lead to unnecessary or
inappropriate medication use.
Misleading information: Concerns about the
presentation of benefits and risks, potentially
leading to misunderstandings.
Healthcare costs: Some believe that DTC
advertising contributes to increased healthcare
costs by promoting expensive brand-name drugs
over generics.
 Impact on the
healthcare system:

There is a lot of debate regarding the impact

the DTS advertisement of
prescribed drugs due to there being risks such
as misleading advertisements
which may cause people to suffer severe side
effects containing multitudes of risks.
To which there are two sides, one of which
considers the educations of the consumers,
and the other being wary of the potential risks
that it may hold, which is the key reason as to
why New Zealand and USA are the only two
countries that authorize DTC advertisements
on prescribed drugs.
 CONCLUSION

Although DTC advertisements have both their benefits

and drawbacks, ongoing discussions are essential to
regulate the advertisements to maintain and ensure that
there are no advertisements that are either misleading
or harmfully inciting potential customers.
Any questions
or comments
from the
audience?
 Thank you!
Resources:
https://www.foley.com/insights/publications/2023/12/fdas-final-rule-on-direct-to-consumer-advertising-
presentation-of-risk-information/#:~:text=The%20Rule%20will%20become%20effective,align%20with
%20the%20updated%20requirements

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/11/21/2023-25428/direct-to-consumer-prescription-
drug-advertisements-presentation-of-the-major-statement-in-a-clear#:~:text=First%2C%20the
%20measures%20required%20by,participate%20in%20healthcare%20decision%20making