How Super Bowl LX's drug ads skirt regulation

If there’s any event that draws a lot of attention to TV commercials, it’s the Super Bowl. Drug companies usually sit on the sidelines for the annual advertising bonanza, and one might expect this Sunday’s game to be no different, considering the FDA’s recent crackdown on pharma ads. But that’s not the case. Novartis and Boehringer Ingelheim have already released their Super Bowl LX ads online, and Novo Nordisk is teasing its big ad on Instagram. Telehealth companies Hims & Hers and Ro also bought airtime during the championship game to promote GLP-1 products, among other things. In this week’s STATus Report, host Alex Hogan discusses these ads with STAT reporter at large Damian Garde, and they explore how the TV spots skirt the spirit, if not the letter, of the rules governing prescription drug advertising on TV. 0:00 Intro 0:51 Why drug makers don't usually buy Super Bowl ads 1:16 The ads so far 2:42 The FDA's recent crackdown 4:20 How "awareness" campaigns work 5:09 The cheeky Novartis ad 6:08 Why do companies release their ads early? 7:00 What's up with the telehealth ads? 12:27 Brand-name vs. compounded GLP-1 offerings 14:14 Why so brazen? 15:27 Outro More from STAT: