Federal DC Circuit Court Rejects Requiring Drug Prices in TV Ads

Federal DC Circuit Court rejects requiring drug prices in TV Ads

Reuters reports that on Tuesday, June 16th, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit “upheld a ruling that struck down a Trump administration rule that required pharmaceutical companies to include the wholesale prices of their drugs in television advertisements.” The court found “in favor of Merck & Co Inc, Eli Lilly and Co and Amgen Inc and said the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) lacked authority to establish the rule.” HHS Secretary Alex Azar “had announced the rule in May 2019, saying that forcing drugmakers to disclose their prices in direct-to-consumer TV advertising could help drive down drug costs if the companies were embarrassed by them.”

In Europe, direct drug marketing to the public is strictly regulated. Prescription drugs cannot be advertised on TV.