FDA To Review TV Drug Ads

WASHINGTON — As the number of prescription-drug commercials on television continues to skyrocket, federal regulators are beginning to explore whether the ads are causing more harm than good, Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal reported.

So-called direct-to-consumer advertising has expanded rapidly since 1997, when the Food and Drug Administration issued draft guidance about the types of television spots drug companies could run. Spending on TV ads for prescription drugs has more than quadrupled, to $1.13 billion in 1999 from $220 million in 1996, says IMS Health and Competitive Media Reporting, which didn’t have more-recent figures available.