DTC Loses Powerful Friends, Will PhRMA Bring Them Back?

Direct-to-consumer advertising is being blamed in large part for the pharmaceutical industry's eroding reputation. Some of the industry's oldest friends in Congress are proposing moratoriums on DTC ads. PhRMA's DTC guidelines may have mollified Congress and FDA for now. However, with the hundreds of billions of dollars lined up for the Medicare drug benefit, CMS could be the newest player in restricting DTC.