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The lobbying group, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, represents most of the world's largest drugmakers, including Pfizer, Merck & Co. and GlaxoSmithKline.
Drugmakers spend about $20 billion per year to promote their products in various mediums, ranging from medical journal ads and information booths at conferences to multimillion dollar TV campaigns.
About $4 billion of industry spending goes toward patient-targeted advertisements. Some drug industry critics charge TV drug advertisements encourage over-prescribing of medications by emphasizing the benefits and minimizing the risks.
The FDA is also conducting a 2,000-person study to determine if the relaxing, upbeat images featured in TV drug ads distract consumers from warnings about the drugs' risks.
[Associated
Press;
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