The Future of Prescription Drug Promotion and Digital Marketing

The digital transformation of legacy marketing channels combined with emerging and novel digital formats continues the evolution of prescription drug advertising. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for ensuring that promotional communications for prescription drugs, including direct-to-consumer (DTC) and health care provider (HCP)-directed promotional communications, are truthful, balanced, and accurately communicated. To achieve its mission, it is vital for the FDA to understand the evolving digital marketing landscape, including existing and emerging platforms, strategies, and technologies used by marketers to promote prescription drug products. 

The Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy, under a cooperative agreement with the FDA, convened a second annual virtual workshop to explore the state of digital prescription drug promotion, including the marketing technologies and strategies currently available and commonly used by marketers, and insights on the future direction of marketing in this space. The objective of this convening was to understand how recent and emerging trends in this space may have bearing on public health. This event explored new formats and strategies that have emerged since the September 2023 convening on Prescription Drug Digital Promotion as well as expanded upon discussions from the prior convening.

This event featured a second day of programming with small group discussions in a closed-door format. Participants explored how current and future digital marketing tools can impact patient, health care provider, and consumer perceptions and behaviors generally, while diving into specific issues discussed during Day 1 of the event. Participants also discussed topics not covered in Day 1, such as the rise of direct-to-consumer (DTC) telemedicine clinics, or clinics that connect consumers to medical advice and treatment options without requiring a patient referral, and their intersection with promotional content for prescription drugs.

This project is supported by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award U01FD006807 totaling $3,493,089 with 100 percent funded by FDA/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by FDA/HHS, or the U.S. Government.