The Trump administration announced a major crackdown on pharmaceutical advertising on Tuesday, targeting what officials call deceptive drug commercials that have misled Americans for decades. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Food and Drug Administration sent thousands of warning letters to drug companies and issued approximately 100 cease-and-desist orders to companies with what they called “deceptive” advertisements. President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum directing federal agencies to ensure transparency and accuracy in direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising. The measure goes beyond traditional TV advertising to include social media platforms and digital advertising, where officials say companies have increasingly avoided proper disclosure of side effects. The proliferation of simplistic pharmaceutical ads on television and digital media distorted physician prescribing habits and patient decisions, said HHS officials, as per Newsweek. Research cited by the administration found that direct-to-consumer advertising drove about 31 percent of the rise in U.S. drug spending since 1997, when the FDA relaxed advertising restrictions. Patients who asked physicians for a direct-to-consumer advertised drug were about 17 times more likely to receive a prescription than those who didn’t. FDA closes decades-old loophole that enabled simplified drug ads The FDA announced it will begin rulemaking to eliminate the “adequate provision” loophole created in 1997. This provision allowed pharmaceutical companies to provide only brief safety warnings in broadcast and digital advertisements while directing consumers to websites or phone numbers for complete risk information. Until 1997, pharmaceutical ads were required to report full contraindications, boxed warnings, and common precautions directly in advertisements. “Pharmaceutical ads hooked this country on prescription drugs,” Kennedy said in a statement. “We will shut down that pipeline of deception and require drug companies to disclose all critical safety facts in their advertising. Only radical transparency will break the cycle of overmedicalization that drives America’s chronic disease epidemic.” HOLEE SHIZZLESBIG PHARMA now has to list ALL side effects on Pharma Ads — RFK Jr says this will Now FORCE Pharma companies to decide if they want to run a 4 minute ads or not.This is Mission accomplished! This is the NEXT BEST thing next to banning them completely from… pic.twitter.com/uq4A79LDpP— MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) September 9, 2025 FDA Commissioner Marty Makary emphasized the financial impact of current advertising practices. “Drug companies spend up to 25 percent of their budget on advertising,” Makary said. “Those billions of dollars would be better spent on lowering drug prices for everyday Americans.” The commissioner noted that pharmaceutical companies spent more than $10 billion on direct-to-consumer advertising in 2024. The enforcement action represents a significant shift from recent years, when FDA oversight of drug advertising had weakened considerably. The agency sent only one enforcement letter in 2023 and none in 2024, compared to more than 130 annually in the late 1990s. The United States and New Zealand are the only countries that allow direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising. The administration also plans to expand oversight to social media promotional activities, including influencer partnerships and algorithm-driven targeted advertising. A 2024 study found that while 100 percent of pharmaceutical social media posts highlight drug benefits, only 33 percent mention potential harms. Additionally, 88 percent of advertisements for top-selling drugs are posted by individuals and organizations that fail to follow FDA guidelines requiring balanced information.