RFK Vows to Ban Big Pharma from Advertising on U.S. Television

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has vowed to completely ban Big Pharma from advertising on television in the U.S. within weeks of Trump entering the White House.

According to reports, With Robert F. Kennedy Jr. slated to take the top spot at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) , many in the biopharma industry are concerned about his tenure’s possible impacts on companies’ direct-to-consumer outreach.

Per Fierce Pharma (emphasis added):

RFK Jr. has previously expressed a desire to put a stop to DTC pharma ads in the U.S.—which is one of only two countries in the world, along with New Zealand, where prescription drugs can be directly advertised to consumers…

In a report Sunday, research firm Intron Health suggested that such a ban represents a major risk of RFK Jr.’s (still to-be-confirmed) HHS leadership for the biopharma industry.

“Whilst we have a relatively benign view of RFK’s impact on the Pharma industry, one thing that does worry us is the potential for the US government to ban DTC advertising of drugs,” Intron wrote, adding, “We see this as the biggest imminent threat from RFK and the new Trump administration.”*

The analysts noted that because the return on investment for DTC drug ads is quite high—with “estimates ranging as high as 100%-500%, depending on the drug”—pharmas will “almost certainly” see their drug sales take a hit from a DTC ban, even as they save money on marketing spending.”