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Drug Ads Are Deceptive and Deadly

Photo by Mikael Seegen

Imagine you are sick with a serious medical condition. How would you feel if someone constantly told you to buy their product because it would cure you, but this ‘cure’ is actually worse than other treatments and the price tag is enormous?

This is the reality of prescription drug advertising. Whether it be on television or online, drug companies spend billions to tell Americans to buy their products. In 2024, giant pharmaceutical companies spent over $6 billion on television alone, and nearly $50 billion in the decade prior.

Yet, these advertisements don’t actually include relevant medical facts to prove that a drug is effective. And even more, they fail to provide evidence of risks. Even the long list of side effects that narrators are legally required to read off at the end of TV commercials often fails to include all health risks from each drug. Online advertising is worse, as it frequently fails to mention risks altogether. Instead, companies play hopeful music and show healthy, active people playing sports or otherwise enjoying their lives.

This is because drug advertisements are tools of emotional manipulation. Companies’ goals are not to share beneficial products with the public; they want to make consumers think their products will work. If they actually work, that is a bonus.

Studies show that drug companies spend more on less........

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