RFK Jr. reportedly plans to ban pharmaceutical ads on TV

As Robert F. Kennedy Jr. settles into his role as President Donald Trump’s health secretary, one major promise he’s made is still on table - banning pharmaceutical ads. 

Kennedy has been a longtime critic of the promotion of drugs on TV, and others high up in Trump’s cabinet and advisorship have agreed in recent months. 

Drug advertising on TV

The backstory:

Up until the mid-1980s, pharmaceutical companies gave information about their products only to doctors and pharmacists. Later that decade, some drug companies began giving the general public more direct access to the information, according to the FDA, leading to the advertising that we see on TV today. 

Big picture view:

TV remains the industry’s primary advertising format, and the U.S. is one of the few countries that allows prescription drugs to be promoted on TV. 

How many ads are drug commercials? 

By the numbers:

It’s hard to pinpoint the exact percentage of TV advertising that drug commercials account for. 

But The New York Times reported that iSpot.TV, which tracks ads, says ads from the makers of prescription and over-the-counter drugs accounted for half of ad spending in 2024 on five popular nightly news shows on major networks.

How much is spent on pharmaceutical advertising?

By the numbers:

More than $4 billion was spent on drug advertising in 2023, led by blockbuster drugs like weight-loss treatment Wegovy, The Associated Press reported, according to iSpot.TV.

Adweek reported that pharmaceutical companies spent more than $5.3 billion for advertising to local and national TV from January - Oct. 2024 – and found that figure to be a 10% year-over-year increase and representative of 10-12% of total TV ad spending. 

Banning drug commercials

What they're saying:

Kennedy has been a longtime critic of pharmaceutical advertising on TV.

He attributes the ads to making America "the biggest consumers of pharmaceutical products in the world - and they’re not making us healthier," he said. 

Others high up in Trump’s cabinet and advisorship have agreed. 

Elon Musk posted on X in November "no advertising for pharma" on a tweet about how TV commercials used to be more creative and heartwarming. 

And Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, said around the same time that he was examining the idea of banning drug ads. 

"I think we’re just way, way too overmedicated as a country," he said. 

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Dig deeper:

In 2015, the American Medical Association called for a ban of drug ads and medical devices – though under the belief that it drives demand for expensive treatments when less costly alternatives have clinically found to be effective. 

The other side:

Banning pharmaceutical ads on TV would eliminate a significant revenue stream for major television networks, potentially affecting their operation. 

Meanwhile:

Last fall, the FDA introduced new rules that require drugmakers to be clearer and more direct when explaining their medications’ risks and side effects. 

And many drug companies are looking beyond TV and expanding into social media, now partnering with patient influencers who post about managing their conditions, new treatments or navigating the health system.

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Look ahead:

As the fight against drug ads could soon take center stage, big pharmaceutical brands will likely continue pivoting strategies and putting dollars into digital ads, content partnerships and influencer marketing.

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