In 1997, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) significantly altered the landscape of commercial media. Because of a clarification of rules regarding advertising, various media would now be able to exploit the vast market potential of pharmaceuticals (or pharmaceutical companies would now be able to exploit the vast marketplace of commercial media). Since 1997, cutting-edge medications have shared the stage with beer, cars, and fast food. The problem is the treatment of prescription drugs as just another line of products between television programs—a trend that is only escalating. This article questions the place of pharmaceuticals on television by exploring the privileged position of commercial speech, the industrial circumstances behind the integration of pharmaceuticals into advertising, the implications of the advertisements, and the role of the FDA in regulating them. By delving into the dangers of mixing drugs and television, the author hopes to make a strong case for tighter, media-centered regulation of direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertisements.
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