Sens. Bernie Sanders and Angus King have introduced new legislation that would ban prescription drug advertising on television, radio, print, digital platforms and social media.
The bill, known as the End Prescription Drug Ads Now Act, would apply to all drugs and biologics, including those currently on the market.
“With the exception of New Zealand, the United States is the only country in the world where it is legal for pharmaceutical companies to advertise their drugs on television. It is time for us to end that international embarrassment,” Sanders said in a statement. “The American people don’t want to see misleading and deceptive prescription drug ads on television. They want us to take on the greed of the pharmaceutical industry and ban these bogus ads.”
In 2024, prescription pharma advertisers accounted for over $5.15 billion in linear TV ad spending, per iSpot.tv, or 11.6% of total ad dollars flowing to national broadcast and cable networks. That money generated over 413 billion ad impressions and 1.58 million minutes of advertising across 271 brands, per the firm.
The report notes that drug spending on linear accounted for 17.6% of sports programming and 5.8% of its impressions and 22.3% of news and information programming and 24.2% of its impressions.
Sanders and King added that the prices for drugs in the U.S. are among the highest in the world, with one in four Americans not able to afford the costs of the medicine their doctors prescribe.
For example, Novo Nordisk charges nearly $1,000 a month for Ozempic in the United States, compared to $59 in Germany, $71 in France, $122 in Denmark, and $155 in Canada, and $1,349 a month for Wegovy, compared to $92 in the United Kingdom, $137 in Germany, $186 in Denmark and $265 in Canada.
“The widespread use of direct-to-consumer advertising by pharmaceutical companies drives up costs and doesn’t necessarily make patients healthier,” King added. “The End Prescription Drug Ads Now Act would prohibit direct-to-consumer advertising of pharmaceutical drugs to protect people. This bill is a great step to ensure that patients are getting the best information possible and from the right source: their providers and not biased advertisements.”
The introduction of the End Prescription Drug Ads Now Act follows repeated calls from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. calling for a ban on prescription drug advertising. It also comes as Donald Trump’s rapidly-evolving tariff policy has added a new layer of caution and uncertainty for Madison Avenue when it comes to spending decisions.
The Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing estimates that prohibiting pharmaceutical advertising could increase federal tax revenues by $1.5 to $1.7 billion annually from 10 of the largest pharmaceutical companies operating in the U.S.
In addition to Sanders and King, cosponsors of the legislation include Democratic Sens. Chris Murphy, Peter Welch, Jeff Merkley and Dick Durbin.
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