Direct to the Consumer Advertising for Pharmceuticals

Prevagen is an over-the-counter supplement that purports to preserve, and even improve brain function.  As I was recently subjected to yet another slick ad for this drug, I wondered about the role of direct-to-the-consumer advertising (DTCA). Background The federal government started to regulate drugs in 1906, and the current responsible agency is the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  Marketing drugs was traditionally aimed at physicians only, as it was thought their training best put them in a position of evaluating the safe use of drugs.  They were the intermediaries between the industry and patients.  Requiring prescriptions written by physicians…

by jpwmd June 18, 2026June 18, 2026