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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Drugs

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Prescription Drug Advertising

Be Smart About Prescription Drug Advertising: A Guide for Consumers

Your healthcare provider is the best source of information about the right medicines for you.

Prescription drug advertisements can provide useful information for consumers to work with their health care providers to make wise decisions about treatment. The example ads below show the correct and incorrect versions of different types of drug ads.

If you think a prescription drug ad violates the law, contact FDA's Office of Prescription Drug Promotion.

Product Claim AdReminder AdHelp-Seeking Ad
correct/incorrect adcorrect/incorrect reminder adcorrect/incorrect help-seeking ad
A product claim ad names a drug, the condition it treats, and talks about both its benefits and risks.A reminder ad gives the drug's name but not the drug's use.A help-seeking ad describes a disease or condition but does not recommend or suggest specific drugs.
• Correct Product Claim Ad• Correct Reminder Ad• Correct Help-Seeking Ad
• Incorrect Product Claim Ad• Incorrect Reminder Ad• Incorrect Help-Seeking Ad

Note: This website does not purport to set forth all the ways in which an ad may violate the law, but rather to explain to the public some of the basic concepts related to drug advertising. 

This site was developed as a collaborative effort between FDA and EthicAd to educate consumers about DTC prescription drug advertisements. 

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