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Did Drug Companies Spend $10 Billion on Consumer Advertising in 2024, Making up Nearly 25% of Evening Ad Minutes?
Yes. Pharmaceutical companies spent over $10.1 billion on drug advertising in 2024 with the top 10 drugs accounting for a third of spending. Over $5 billion of the spending was on TV ads, with the other half spent on radio, print, streaming and online ads.
The advertising for these pharmaceutical companies made up 24.4% of evening ad minutes on news programs through ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and NBC between Jan. 1 and May 31 of this year.
Drug company AbbVie spent the most, totaling over $1 billion on ads for Skyrizi and Rinvoq, which are used to treat inflammatory conditions. AbbVie increased spending on advertisements for Skyrizi by 150%.
Between 2023 and 2024, consumer advertising of the weight management drug Wegovy increased 330%. During that period, usage among teens increased 50%. The U.S. is one of only two countries that allow direct pharmaceutical advertising.
Urgent Care Clinics Overprescribe Common Medications
A new review of urgent care records has raised concerns about how certain medications are being handed out for conditions that often don’t need them. Researchers looked at more than 22 million visits to urgent care clinics across the country from 2018 to 2022. The findings show that many of these visits ended with prescriptions for antibiotics, steroids, or opioids — sometimes when they weren’t needed at all.
Antibiotics were often prescribed for conditions where they don’t work, like certain ear infections, mild bladder symptoms, and common chest colds. In some cases, nearly half of the prescriptions didn’t match up with any clear reason to use them. These drugs are meant to fight bacterial infections, but they’re often given out for viruses, where they don’t help. Over time, this can make bacteria harder to treat and increase the chances of stronger, drug-resistant strains spreading in the community.
Steroids were also given out more often than needed, especially for coughs, sinus pressure, and chest congestion. While steroids can reduce inflammation, they’re not always the best solution for simple infections or cold symptoms. Some people may get side effects like mood swings, trouble sleeping, or higher blood sugar after taking them. In these visits, the drugs were used when rest and basic care might have worked just as well.
‘Ozempic Teeth’: Another Effect of GLP-1 Agonists?
Cases of “Ozempic mouth” and “Ozempic teeth” have recently been described in the news, with most of the problems — inflammation affecting the gums, tooth decay, and even bad breath — linked to a dry mouth. “All of the GLP-1 agonists that we use now cause changes in how everything is secreted in your GI tract,” Ann Marie Defnet, M.D., who specializes in obesity medicine and bariatric surgery at Northwell Health’s North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York City, told MedPage Today.
And this “definitely has an impact on saliva.” People taking GLP-1 drugs also tend to be a bit dehydrated because they are often not hungry or thirsty, she noted. “I haven’t seen too many horrible cases of periodontal disease, gingivitis, or anything like that, nor have I had any patients really complaining about dry mouth,” she noted. “But definitely I have patients all the time that [say], ‘Oh yeah, I can tell I’m dehydrated.'”
Defnet said she believes some of the serious oral health issues that have been reported are likely representative of “more of a later stage issue with patients who maybe just aren’t staying hydrated in general.” “One of the big things I always counsel my patients on is they just have to remember to continue to drink water, even if they’re not thirsty, even if they’re not hungry,” Defnet said. “That seems to help with all of these symptoms.”
Scientists Use Dental Floss to Deliver Vaccines Without Needles
Flossing your teeth at least once a day is an essential part of any oral health routine. But it might also one day protect other parts of the body as scientists have created a novel, needle-free vaccine approach using a specialized type of floss.
In a study published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, researchers demonstrated that when floss laced with vaccine components, such as proteins and inactive viruses, was applied along the gum lines of mice, it triggered an immune response.
This method of vaccine delivery is effective because the areas of gum between the teeth are highly permeable, allowing them to absorb vaccine molecules easily.
Fast-Track Reviews Open to Pharma Companies That Promise US Manufacturing, Price Cuts
Prescription drugmakers can now apply for new Trump administration priority review vouchers that will cut drug approval times down from 10-12 months to just 1-2 months.
Digging into the details: U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) chief Marty Makary opened online applications this week for the plan now called the Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher (CNPV).
The FDA plans to hand out 5 vouchers on a rolling basis this year.
Applicants need to show they’re committed to at least one of five Trump administration healthcare priorities: addressing a public health crisis, delivering innovative cures, tackling an unmet medical need, moving drug development and manufacturing to the US, or reducing drug costs.
A growing group of pharma companies are pledging significant spending to US manufacturing and R&D under Trump pressure. This week, AstraZeneca promised $50 billion over five years earlier.
