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# FDA Moves Ahead on DTC ‘Endorsements’ Research
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/fda-moves-ahead-on-dtc-endorsements-research/
- Published: 2020-12-04T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-14T16:39:06.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: Drugs, FDA Policy/General, #legacy-id-D5148231

Expanding on previous direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising research involving celebrities and other endorsers used in advertisements, CDER’s Office of Prescription Drug Promotion (OPDP) is proposing to examine four types of endorsers (celebrity, physician, patient, non-celebrity influencer) in two separate studies. The studies plan to examine whether the presence of a disclosure of their payment status influences participant reactions, according to an [FDA notice](https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2020-26799.pdf?ref=fdaweb.com).

In both studies, OPDP says it is interested in the role of endorsement and disclosure of payment status on participants’ recall, benefit and risk perceptions, and behavioral intentions. Participants will view one promotional piece and answer questions over the internet. “Dependent variables will include attention to disclosure statement and risk/benefit information; retention of risk/benefit information; recognition of piece as promotion and endorser as paid; perceived benefits and risks, attitudes toward the product, endorser, and ad; and behavioral intentions, such as asking a doctor about the drug,” it says.

The research proposal has been submitted to OMB for approval and includes FDA’s responses to five commenters that responded after a “request for comments” notice was published earlier this year. For example, one comment suggested that the proposed research, at least in part, is duplicative of information otherwise reasonably available to FDA. It pointed out that the earlier notice cited three scientific references, and it does not address the other literature that exists on the subject of endorsers in advertising. The comment recommended that FDA assemble and review the relevant literature on endorsement to ensure the research questions have not already been answered. In response, FDA said a literature review was conducted as part of this project that identified relevant literature. “We identified a significant gap in the literature regarding the impact of social media influencers in prescription drug DTC advertisements, as well as a lack of information about the impact of explicit payment disclosure,” it said. “The research questions outlined in our proposed research were designed to address this gap.”