How has the FDA’s crackdown on deceptive drug advertising affected multiscreen TV?

The FDA launched a crackdown on drug ads in September 2025, resulting in over 100 letters being sent to pharma companies.

We took a deep dive into the pharma category to understand the implications this had on TV and streaming advertising:

• Recent multiscreen TV investment trends for the pharma Rx category, both before and after the FDA’s initial crackdown in September 2025
• TV ad duration (or commercial unit length) trends for the pharma Rx category, both before and after the FDA’s crackdown, including the following cuts:
  • Total TV & streaming
  • Prime time daypart
  • Sports events, news & entertainment genres
  • Pharma Rx product categories