Drug Marketing

The article distinguishes legitimate off-label prescribing by doctors from illegal or fraudulent off-label marketing by companies. Neurontin is presented as an example of a drug allegedly marketed for many unapproved uses after approval for narrower indications. Advertisements could be required to disclose whether a drug is best, whether cheaper equivalent alternatives exist, and how many people must be treated for one person to benefit. The article criticizes U.S. prescription drug advertising to consumers while noting that commercial speech protections may make an outright ban difficult. The article proposes that prescription drug advertisements should leave viewers with a true impression of medical and economic value.