Memorandum for the Secretary of Health and Human Services the Commissioner of Food and Drugs
SUBJECT: Addressing Misleading Direct-To-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertisements In 1962, the Congress vested the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with the authority to regulate prescription drug advertising. These advertisements can mislead the public about the risks and benefits, encourage medications over lifestyle changes, inappropriately intervene in the physician-patient relationship, and advantage expensive drugs over cheaper