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# Sen. Franken Bill Seeks End to DTC Advertising Deduction
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/sen-franken-bill-seeks-end-to-dtc-advertising-deduction/
- Published: 2016-03-07T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-15T02:41:06.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: Drugs, FDA Policy/General, #legacy-id-D5134982

> Sen. **Al Franken** (D-MN) has introduced legislation to end prescription drug advertising tax deductions. “Right now, pharmaceutical companies spend billions of dollars every year on television, magazine, and Internet advertisements - and the federal government gives those companies a tax break every time you see a drug advertisement,” a Franken [release](http://www.franken.senate.gov/?p=press%5Frelease&id=3384&ref=fdaweb.com) says. “The *Protecting Americans from Drug Marketing Act* would eliminate these tax advantages so that pharmaceutical companies can focus on developing new drugs — not marketing schemes.”  
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> In 2014, spending on prescription drug ads reached $4.5 billion, a 30% increase from 2012\. “In fact, [a recent survey showed](http://kff.org/health-costs/poll-finding/kaiser-health-tracking-poll-october-2015/?utm%5Fcampaign=KFF%3A+2015+October+Tracking+Poll&utm%5Fsource=hs%5Femail&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcontent=23193007&%5Fhsenc=p2ANqtz-%5FGLwaUU5aj804MJAHeMcn6IFmroDVlNRblfsipD4zFp-zT%5F5ieIwB3rIOsUgIVDdhl88moTs5vuHGM0drJae66PYE-7cguRZ2dVSIJ%5F%5FYv5PsJyPs&%5Fhsmi=23193007) that more than 80% of Americans reported seeing or hearing prescription drug ads, with about 3 in 10 people saying they spoke with their doctor about specific medicine as a result of these advertisements,” Franken says. “The United States and New Zealand are the only countries that explicitly allow direct-to-consumer marketing for prescription drugs. The American Medical Association (AMA) has called for a ban, indicating that these advertisements encourage expensive treatments, despite the existence of more affordable alternatives.”  
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> You can read a copy of the *Protecting Americans from Drug Marketing Act* by clicking [here](http://www.franken.senate.gov/files/press/MCG16039.pdf?ref=fdaweb.com).