FDA warns drug makers about misleading Internet ads

The Food and Drug Administration issued warnings to 14 major drug makers for Internet advertisements that could be misleading to patients. The ads appear as "sponsored links" when a user types the name of a disease or drug in search engines such as Google, and do not include information about health risks and side effects related to the drugs.

Heavily advertised drugs usually aren't the most effective or safest. Instead, they're just the newest—and often the most expensive. In 2008 drug makers spent roughly $5 billion advertising drugs to consumers, including Celebrex, Lunesta, Nexium, and Plavix. Those ads often minimize or omit important safety and side effect information and may prompt you to ask your doctor to prescribe drugs you don't need. In our recent survey, sixty-eight percent agreed that drug companies have too much influence on the drugs doctors prescribe.

—Ginger Skinner

For more information, check out our Consumer Reports AdWatch videos. They go behind the drugs ads to tell you what the drug companies won't.