Senator Rich Draheim (R–Madison Lake) today presented Senate File 3650, a bill aimed at reducing the soaring cost of healthcare by prohibiting prescription drug manufacturers from using televised advertisements to promote the direct sale of their drugs to consumers.

The proposal was heard in the Minnesota Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee.

“Pharmaceutical companies spend billions every year on advertising. Those costs get passed on to consumers through higher drug prices,” said Sen. Draheim. “People end up spending more time watching prescription drug ads on TV than they spend talking with their doctor. By getting rid of these TV ads, we can significantly reduce the advertising budgets of pharmaceutical companies and pass the savings on to consumers.”

Televised direct-to-consumer prescription drug ads are common in the United States but prohibited in nearly every other country. New Zealand is the only other nation that allows them in a similar form. According to the National Library of Medicine, the average TV viewer in the U.S. watches as many as 16 hours of drug advertisements per year, far more time than the average individual spends with their primary care physician.

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary has criticized drug advertisements as misleading and harmful to the doctor-patient relationship.

“Drug companies spend up to 25% of their budget on advertising. Those billions of dollars would be better spent on lowering drug prices for everyday Americans,” said Commissioner Makary.

The bill advanced out of committee and will next be heard in the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee.