Drugs

Bipartisan Senators Urge FDA to Pre-Screen Certain Drug Ads

A bipartisan pair of senators is pressing FDA to take a more proactive role in policing prescription drug advertising, citing a surge in misleading direct-to-consumer promotions — for weight-loss treatments. In a letter sent this week, Dick Durbin (D-IL), the Senate Democratic Whip, and Roger Marshall (R-KS) urged the agency to require certain drug advertisements to be submitted for review before they are aired on television. While the FDA currently reviews ads after they run, the lawmakers noted the agency has had authority since 2007 to mandate pre-review for some high-risk promotions but has never exercised it.

“The airwaves are flooded with misleading pharmaceutical promotions,” the senators wrote, arguing that companies may view post hoc enforcement as “an acceptable cost of doing business” after already reaching large audiences.

The push comes amid heightened FDA enforcement activity. Since September 2025, the agency has issued more than 100 warning letters to pharmaceutical manufacturers and telehealth firms over allegedly false or misleading advertising, reflecting increased scrutiny of how companies present drug benefits and risks.

Spending on direct-to-consumer drug advertising has also surged, with more than $6 billion spent annually across pharmaceutical and telehealth sectors. Lawmakers said that growth has coincided with an increase in promotions that omit critical safety information or overstate clinical benefits.

The senators pointed specifically to advertisements for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs and compounded medications, which they said often fail to adequately disclose risks, contraindications, or regulatory status.

Durbin and Marshall are urging FDA to use its authority under federal law to require pre-submission of certain advertisements, allowing regulators to flag or correct misleading claims before they reach consumers. “FDA has the tools to seek changes on the front end, before patients are inundated with harmful content,” the senators wrote, adding that such oversight would be especially important for widely used or high-risk products. They argued that pre-review could help ensure advertisements present a balanced view of effectiveness and safety, addressing longstanding concerns about “fair balance” in pharmaceutical marketing.

The lawmakers have previously sought to tighten oversight of drug promotion through legislation, including the Protecting Patients from Deceptive Drug Ads Act, which targets misleading marketing by social media influencers and telehealth companies. They also highlighted a high-profile case last year involving a pharmaceutical advertisement aired during the Super Bowl that reached more than 100 million viewers but allegedly omitted key safety information.

The senators said the scale and persistence of potentially deceptive advertising now warrant use of the FDA’s pre-review authority as a “gatekeeping tool” to better protect public health.

Gupta Raises Concerns About Overton’s Independence, Ideology

FDA commissioner nominee Heidi Overton’s responses on vaccines, contraception and abortion medication during her 9/24 Senate confirmation hearing raise concerns that ideology could influence her decision-making if she takes over the agency, MSNBC senior medical analyst Dr. Vin Gupta said Friday. Gupta was particularly critical of Overton’

Overton Confirmation Remains Uncertain After Senate Hearing

FDA commissioner nominee Heidi Overton emerged from her Senate confirmation hearing Thursday (see earlier story) without resolving questions about whether she has enough Republican support to advance — and with a rapidly narrowing window for confirmation before the midterm elections. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing provided few

FDA Classifies Boston Scientific Imager II Catheter Recall as Class I

FDA has classified Boston Scientific's recall of its Imager II Angiographic Catheters as Class I because a manufacturing problem could cause catheter tips to degrade and detach, potentially resulting in life-threatening complications. The agency announced the Class I classification 9/25, updating an Early Alert it issued

FDA Approves Gazyva for Childhood-Onset Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome

FDA has approved Roche’s Gazyva (obinutuzumab) for reducing the risk of relapse in adults and children aged 2 and older with frequently relapsing or steroid-dependent, childhood-onset idiopathic nephrotic syndrome who are in remission. The expanded approval covers the use of the CD20-directed antibody beyond its existing

Read more

Gupta Raises Concerns About Overton’s Independence, Ideology

Overton Confirmation Remains Uncertain After Senate Hearing

FDA Classifies Boston Scientific Imager II Catheter Recall as Class I

FDA Approves Gazyva for Childhood-Onset Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome