Deceptive drug ads targeted

Rep. Tom Allen (D-Maine) has introduced legislation that would levy up to a
$10 million civil penalty on direct-to-consumer drug advertisers for deceptive
ads.

The Accuracy in Pharmaceutical Advertising Act would also require the
government to keep a running tally of direct-to-consumer drug ads, including
when and where they aired and whether any were cited for violations.

The American Advertising Federation argued that the law is unnecessary since
the Food and Drug Administration already has the power to penalize false and
misleading claims.