If anybody knows the status of the annoying Drug commercials let me know. All I could find were statments that bills were introduced to end the pracice. Thanks

Have not even heard of that much, but the sooner the better.

"I caught Fournier gangrene, but at least my A1C is lower." They can't go away soon enough.

Does it really take a full-blown act of Congress? I thought it delegated this authority to the FDA. Makes you wonder how far the drug companies are up Congress-people's backsides.

Take a look at the ads during any TV news program (watched more by older individuals than young) and it is a constant stream of big Pharma and replacement windows. Those stations will be fighting to keep their dwindling source of revenue. Politicians don't need a local news station gunning for them.

This is from August... nothing new since then:

MAHA may take aim at pharma DTC ads

RFK Jr. has his sights set on increasing oversight and enforcement against drugmakers that run afoul of advertising laws.

Published Aug. 20, 2025

A much-anticipated report from the Make America Healthy Again Commission was postponed earlier this month. But nestled within leaked documents is a strategy that reveals more about health leaders’ goals, including potential new oversight of pharma’s direct-to-consumer advertising practices.

DTC advertising has long been a target of Health and Human Services Secretary and MAHA leader Robert F. Kennedy Jr. While Congress has taken some interest in passing a ban on those ads, real reform hasn’t gained momentum.

In the upcoming report, health leaders may seek to crack down on DTC ads, particularly on social media where telehealth companies use “deceptive” marketing tactics, according to draft strategy documents published by Politico. The leaked draft strategy contains policy recommendations from a group assembled by President Donald Trump and Kennedy, and its objectives could change before the official version is published. The White House stated it delayed the report’s release to coordinate the schedules of officials involved in creating it, Politico reported.

The administration released its first MAHA report earlier this year that identified several problems in the nation’s food and health system, directing the commission to formulate policy ideas and plans to address those problems. The first report came under fire for factual errors and alleged use of AI.

Based on the draft strategy for the second report, pharma should brace for heightened scrutiny of DTC advertisements.
DTC oversight

In the past, Kennedy has suggested that pharma DTC advertising should be outlawed completely, but the drafted strategy appears to take a softer approach. Rather than seeking an outright ban, the recommendations are significantly less damaging to pharma’s status quo.

Listed under “policy reforms” within the draft, the focus on DTC advertising states that the FDA, HHS, the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice would “increase oversight and enforcement” under current laws for DTC prescription drug advertising violations. Instead of focusing on all media platforms, the agencies will “prioritize the most egregious violations,” such as those by social media influencers and telehealth companies.

“HHS/FDA likely lack statutory authority to prohibit DTC ads, but there are ways that the administration could pursue limiting DTC ads.”
- Jennifer Bragg
Partner, Latham and Watkins

While less strict than a ban, the proposal isn’t new, and some lawmakers want the FDA to crack down.

https://www.biopharmadive.com/...ennedy-trump/758119/

Limiting in some way would be good.
So far, though Trump and RFKJ have been incredibly successful in lowering drug prices--so they say. I don't know how much difference people are seeing in real life. Anyone hear had recent experience with lower drug prices?

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
Anyone hear had recent experience with lower drug prices?

That's hard to tell from our perspective.
We are on Medicare Part D with a no cost discount card. My wife has a few generic prescriptions and I have an occasional prescription. We hardly ever pay more than a dollar or two for those.

The ad's are mostly pushing the more costly newest drugs that still have patents (no generic version) so there must be someone paying a lot more for those. Probably mostly people over the Donut Hole $2,100 maximum, which means the government.
For anyone that doesn't have a drug plan, they should sign up for one of those low or no cost cards.
That way, even without much insurance company participation, you'd at least get billed at the insurance company rate, not the full price you'd pay otherwise and it's a big difference.

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
Limiting in some way would be good.
So far, though Trump and RFKJ have been incredibly successful in lowering drug prices--so they say. I don't know how much difference people are seeing in real life. Anyone hear had recent experience with lower drug prices?

I've gone from self-pay to Medicare Part D. Same price. The compounded Rx isn't covered by any Part D, the blood pressure is covered but at exactly the same price as self-pay.

The wife is self-pay (not yet 65) and her prices are the same.

We're not on any crazy expensive prescriptions, so maybe that is part of it.

I would like a change in how these drugs are presented. Except for a few ads, most show happy healthy people dancing, riding bikes or playing actively with their grandchildren. I don't know many people in chemotherapy enjoying similar activities. Instead we have a very soft voice speaking rapidly about horrific side effects including death and rotting of your genitals. Most people pay no attention to that because of the goofy music or a hearing impairment.

99% of me agrees. Annoying ads.

However, 1% of me feels like I’ll miss out on pharmacy humor. By that I mean the funniest thing I’ve ever seen during a pharmacy visit was only funny because I knew what the drug was due to DTC advertising. I was waiting for my prescription and some guy who apparently thought he was the world’s greatest gift to women came in. He got loud when the gal at the counter said his prescription wasn’t ready. He angrily and loudly proclaimed for all to hear, “I can’t believe you don’t have my {insert name of genital herpes drug} ready. How {bleep} long does it take to get {insert name of genital herpes drug} ready?” That’s when he realized he had just announced to all bystanders including an attractive woman that he had genital herpes. Suddenly, picking up from drive thru became important to him

get rid of ALL the ads. If the drug is good enough your doctor should be the one to present it to you.

If you don't hear about it that means it either doesn't work or its not appropriate for you.

If we're going to continue to be pummeled about the head and neck with 35,000 pharma ads a day, then perhaps they should bring back advertising cigarettes and alcohol.

I'd like to see them reign in the non pharma non fda supplement advertising not only TV but social media.

Can't tell you how many times I have had to cancel out a "subscription" where my dad has read something that will "help" with neuropathy.

There is no cure or fix for it, and if you have it bad the pain is very debilitating, so he gets that he shouldn't but sometimes does and we end up having to cancel credit cards as these thieves won't cancel easily.

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
Limiting in some way would be good.
So far, though Trump and RFKJ have been incredibly successful in lowering drug prices--so they say. I don't know how much difference people are seeing in real life. Anyone hear had recent experience with lower drug prices?

Happy to report that 90 days of Eliquis (with insurance) evidently dropped from $870 to under $500.