Prescription drug costs are on the rise, pharmaceutical industry ad spending is up, too

How many times have you watched TV and seen a commercial for a prescription medication?

If it seems like it’s happening more often, you’re correct.

Pharmaceutical company spending on direct-to-consumer advertising, including those commercials to get you to remember the name of a drug, has grown 62 percent since 2012.

“Pharmaceutical advertising has grown more in the past four years than any other leading ad category,” Jon Swallen, chief research officer at Kantar Media, tells Kaiser Health News.

Here is what the Kantar data reveals about pharmaceutical industry advertising:

• 72 percent of commercial breaks on “CBS Evening News” featured least one drug advertisement.
• Ads run on sitcoms and nightly news to target older consumers.
• Drugmakers’ spending on direct-to-consumer advertising was up 5 percent from 2015, nearing $6.4 billion.
• Networks would lose 8 percent of ad revenue without pharmaceutical advertising.
• In 2016 the top three advertised drugs were Lyrica at $313 million, Humira at $303 million and Eliquis as $186 million.
• Pharmaceutical companies advertise the drugs they think will bring them the most revenue.

The United States is one of two countries that allows direct-to-consumer drug advertising. The American Medical Association called for a ban on these types of ads in 2015, saying they inflate the demand for expensive drugs that may not be best for individual treatment.

How have the rising costs of prescription drugs affected you? Share your story with Voices for Affordable Health.