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Pharma Marketing Faces a Character-Count Conundrum
this_boat_is_real writes "There's growing concern over how pharmaceutical companies use social media and the Internet to market their products. Last November, the US Food and Drug Administration held a hearing on the topic, and many were worried over how marketing mediums such as Twitter — which has a 140-character limit on text — can sufficiently disclose drug risks." Here's the FDA's announcement about last year's hearings, which includes links to an archive of presentations as well as a video record of the meeting.
Would that also include banning the radio PSA reminding women to take folic acid during pregnancy (or when planning to become pregnant) to reduce the rate of birth defects? How about the ones urging teens not to commit suicide? Though not exactly drugs in the traditional sense, they do pertain to health and probably constitute a fifth class, but they may share some overlap with the other types of ads mentioned.
I also fail to see the issue with the first category of add. A lot of over-the-counter drugs are relatively harmless and are about as similar as different brands of shampoo. If three different cough medicine companies want to advertise their brand, that's entirely their business. Not all types of medicine are something that requires the expert opinion of a doctor. Sometimes common sense or a basic understanding of disease and medicine is enough to treat something like a common cough.
I share your sentiments regarding the effects of a lot of this advertisement, but not your solution. As tepples pointed out, advertisement can serve as a form of education for the public. That's not necessarily a bad thing.