Forbes October 13, 2025
Rita Numerof

Last month the Trump Administration announced sweeping changes to the decades old rules that allow pharmaceutical manufacturers to advertise products direct-to-consumer. FDA Commissioner, Marty Makary, noted that since 1997 when the rules changed allowing drug promotion as long as ads described side effects along with clinical benefit, manufacturers have been spending billions to promote their drugs. The amount of money spent on advertising in the following decade increased 8-fold, from $700 million to $5.4 billion in 2006. That number today is around $10 billion and according to some estimates represents approximately 31% of what the U.S. pharma industry spends on bringing drugs to market.

The administration has also suggested that companies have spent approximately 14% more advertising drugs with modest...

Today's Sponsors

Venturous
ZeOmega

Today's Sponsor

Venturous

 
Topics: Biotechnology, Govt Agencies, HHS, Patient / Consumer, Pharma, Pharma / Biotech
STAT+: 9 influencers shaping health information online, for better or worse
Charted: Where measles is surging (again)
Flu Season Is a Stress Test. Our Healthcare System Keeps Failing.
SAMHSA Announces $231M Funding for 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Expansion
Opinion: Our podcast ‘Why Should I Trust You?’ connects MAHA and public health. Here’s what we’ve learned

Share Article