Meet Denise. Denise is Living with Tardive Dyskinesia.

Tardive Dyskinesia is a medication-induced movement disorder.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM V) defines tardive dyskinesia (TD) “as a medication-induced movement disorder that persists despite discontinuation or change of the medications.”

Thanks to an advertisement, Denise learns about Austedo XR, so she can ask her doctor to prescribe it, so she can continue popping her favorite Soma AND get rid of that nasty TD side effect – the shakes.

Or, maybe Denise could stop taking her Soma, skip Austedo and find a more holistic method to address her anxiety/depression? Just throwing that idea out there because all drugs do have potential side effects.

Important safety information about AUSTEDO:

Depression and Suicidality in Patients with Huntington’s Disease: AUSTEDO XR and AUSTEDO can increase the risk of depression and suicidal thoughts and behavior (suicidality) in patients with Huntington’s disease. Balance the risks of depression and suicidality with the clinical need for treatment of chorea. Closely monitor patients for the emergence or worsening of depression, suicidality, or unusual changes in behavior. Inform patients, their caregivers, and families of the risk of depression and suicidality and instruct them to report behaviors of concern promptly to the treating physician. Exercise caution when treating patients with a history of depression or prior suicide attempts or ideation. AUSTEDO XR and AUSTEDO are contraindicated in patients who are suicidal, and in patients with untreated or inadequately treated depression.

Do not take AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO if you:

• have Huntington’s disease and are depressed or have thoughts of suicide.

• have liver problems.

• are taking reserpine. Do not take medicines that contain reserpine with AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO. If your healthcare provider plans to switch you from taking reserpine to AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO, you must wait at least 20 days after your last dose of reserpine before you start taking AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO.

• are taking a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) medicine. Do not take an MAOI within 14 days after you stop taking AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO. Do not start AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO if you stopped taking an MAOI in the last 14 days. Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist if you are not sure.

• are taking tetrabenazine. If your healthcare provider plans to switch you from tetrabenazine to AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO, take your first dose of AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO on the day after your last dose of tetrabenazine.

• are taking valbenazine.

Other possible serious side effects include:

• Irregular heartbeat (QT prolongation). AUSTEDO XR and AUSTEDO increases your chance of having certain changes in the electrical activity in your heart. These changes can lead to a dangerous abnormal heartbeat. Taking AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO with certain medicines may increase this chance.

• Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome. Call your healthcare provider right away and go to the nearest emergency room if you develop these signs and symptoms that do not have another obvious cause: high fever, stiff muscles, problems thinking, very fast or uneven heartbeat, or increased sweating.

• Restlessness. You may get a condition where you feel a strong urge to move. This is called akathisia.

• Parkinsonism. Symptoms include: slight shaking, body stiffness, trouble moving, trouble keeping your balance, or falls.

Sleepiness (sedation) is a common side effect of AUSTEDO XR and AUSTEDO. While taking AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO, do not drive a car or operate dangerous machinery until you know how AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO affects you. Drinking alcohol and taking other drugs that may also cause sleepiness while you are taking AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO may increase any sleepiness caused by AUSTEDO XR and AUSTEDO.

The most common side effects of AUSTEDO in people with Huntington’s disease include sleepiness (sedation), diarrhea, tiredness, and dry mouth.

The most common side effects of AUSTEDO in people with tardive dyskinesia include inflammation of the nose and throat (nasopharyngitis) and problems sleeping (insomnia).

The most common side effects of AUSTEDO XR are expected to be similar to AUSTEDO in people with Huntington’s disease or tardive dyskinesia.

These are not all the possible side effects of AUSTEDO XR or AUSTEDO. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.

And if Austedo doesn’t work out, how about trying Ingrezza?

Don’t worry about other side effects like suicidal thoughts, depression, mood swings, sudden fatal swelling, fevers, hives, sleepiness, problems thinking, shaking, stiffness, drooling, trouble moving, bad balance, and/or heart problems. At least the chance of death is not on the list.

When the pharmaceutical ads started invading our TVs back in the late 1980s or early 1990s, many people giggled a bit, bathtub…boner pills…really?

One of the side effects may include…death.

After the aughts, pharmaceutical advertisements grew so dominant that many of us turned off the boob tube and some started streaming…only to hear more commercials advertising a new, improved drug with horrific potential side effects.

So many of us applauded the MAHA movement when RFK, Jr. promised to ban advertising pharmaceutical drugs. Stop invading our TV with this nonsense and let our doctor discuss our options at our doctor’s appointment.

Maybe the marketing of pharmaceutical drugs is “$takeholder capitalism” Gone Wild?

Who cares how many people are harmed? Just take some more Soma and we’ll work with you to find an affordable version, so no one spends too much on their necessary medication. What a deal!

Remember the senate confirmation hearing this past February when Bernie Sanders attacked RFK, Jr. and RFK, Jr.’s response?

Now, it looks like HHS Secretary RFK, Jr. and Senator Sanders (and 6 co-sponsors) are on the same team, at least as far as banning pharmaceutical advertisements.

On June 12, 2025, Senator Bernie Sanders introduced S.2068 - End Prescription Drug Ads Now Act, an act to ban pharmaceutical advertisements.

On June 18, 2025, CNN led a headline with: “RFK Jr. wants to crack down on drug ads. That could cripple some broadcasters.” There is no mention of Senator Sanders’ bill introduced a few days earlier in the article.

In his June 12, 2025 press release, Sanders said, “The American people are sick and tired of greedy pharmaceutical companies spending billions of dollars on absurd TV commercials pushing their outrageously expensive prescription drugs. 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. 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.”

Absurd commercials – yes, I’ll agree with you there, Senator Sanders.

What does Claude say about the Pros and Cons of banning pharmaceutical ads?

Pros of banning pharmaceutical ads:

Pharmaceutical advertising bans could reduce inappropriate prescribing by preventing patients from requesting specific medications based on marketing rather than medical need. This might lead to better clinical decision-making, as doctors would face less pressure to prescribe heavily advertised drugs. Healthcare costs could decrease since advertising expenses (which get passed to consumers) would be eliminated, and there would be less demand for expensive brand-name drugs when generic alternatives exist.

The ban could also reduce health anxiety and self-diagnosis, since patients wouldn't be exposed to ads that suggest they might have conditions they don't actually have. It would level the playing field between pharmaceutical companies, allowing smaller firms with effective but less-marketed drugs to compete more fairly. Additionally, it could improve the doctor-patient relationship by focusing conversations on medical expertise rather than patient requests driven by advertising.

Cons of banning pharmaceutical ads:

Such bans might limit patient awareness of new treatment options, particularly for rare diseases or conditions that patients might not know are treatable. This could slow adoption of beneficial medications and leave some patients unaware of therapies that could significantly improve their quality of life.

The restriction could also limit patient autonomy by reducing their ability to research and discuss treatment options with their doctors. Some argue that informed patients who actively participate in their healthcare decisions tend to have better outcomes. There are also free speech concerns, as pharmaceutical companies might argue that restricting their ability to communicate about legal products infringes on commercial speech rights.

From an economic perspective, reduced advertising revenue could hurt media companies, and pharmaceutical companies might argue that advertising helps recoup research and development costs for new drugs.

Most countries outside the US and New Zealand already ban direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising, providing real-world examples of both approaches in action.

The pharmaceutical industry's dependence on advertising is substantial and growing. Here's what the numbers reveal:

Overall spending: Healthcare and pharma ad spending in the US will eclipse $30 billion in 2024, up 5% year-over-year US Healthcare and Pharma Ad Spending 2024, with pharma spending $19.45 billion on online marketing in 2024—88% of the industry's total digital ad spending Pharma accounts for nearly 90% of the broader industry’s digital ad spending.

Direct-to-consumer advertising: The American pharma industry invested $6.88 billion on direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising in 2021 The State of Pharmaceutical Advertising, making the US the world's largest pharmaceutical advertising market. More recent data shows more than $10.1 billion spent marketing all prescription drugs last year, a year-over-year increase of about 2% The top 10 pharma drug ad spenders of 2024.

Growth trajectory: Global healthcare advertising spend is projected to grow from $44.56 billion in 2025 to $67.87 billion by 2033, at a CAGR of 5.4% Why Pharma and Healthcare Advertising Spending Continues to Rise | Health Union, LLC.

TV advertising specifically: Drugmakers have spent a combined $729.4 million to air commercials for the top 10 brands TV drug ad spending continues upward climb, logging nearly 30% growth in Q1 in just the first quarter of 2025, representing nearly 30% growth.

Industry dependence: The pharmaceutical industry's heavy reliance on advertising is evident in that the top 10 companies were responsible for about a third of all pharmaceutical advertising spending in 2024 The top 10 pharma drug ad spenders of 2024. This represents a significant portion of their operational budgets, suggesting that advertising has become integral to their business model.

For context, the US is one of only two countries worldwide that allows direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising, making this spending particularly concentrated in the American market. The industry's significant investment in advertising suggests that banning such ads would force a major restructuring of how pharmaceutical companies allocate their marketing budgets and potentially their overall business strategies.

The Pharmaceutical Industry: The pharma industry is taking seriously the idea that the United States might join peers around the world in banning direct-to-consumer advertising and is ready for a fight, even with the legal and constitutional hurdles such a ban would present. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) has historically opposed restrictions on drug advertising, as mentioned in the search results regarding their objections to previous pricing disclosure rules.

Television and Media Companies: Drug companies spent $5.15 billion on TV ads in 2024, a significant figure considering drugmakers spent almost $14 billion on direct-to-consumer advertising. RFK Jr. wants to crack down on drug ads. That could cripple some broadcasters | CNN Business The broadcasting industry stands to lose substantial revenue from pharmaceutical advertising bans, as prescription drug brands in 2024 accounted for 11.6% of all linear-TV ad spend. Proposed Pharma Ad Ban May Be a Bitter Pill to Swallow for Sports TV

Business-Friendly Elements Within the Trump Administration: A business-friendly Trump administration could hamper RFK's plans to cut D2C advertising Will pharmaceutical ads be banned under the second Trump administration?, suggesting there may be internal opposition to RFK Jr.'s proposed restrictions despite his position as HHS Secretary.

The opposition appears to be primarily economic, with pharmaceutical companies and media outlets concerned about the financial impact of losing the multi-billion dollar direct-to-consumer advertising market. Currently, only the US and New Zealand allow direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising among developed nations. Claude can make mistakes.

Do you support banning pharmaceutical ads? Or is a ban like this un-American?