Tag: Drug marketing

First marketed in 1996, the prescription painkiller OxyContin is widely considered the medication that ignited the opioid crisis in the United States, triggering a widespread wave of addiction due to its deceptive marketing and powerful nature. The story of this drug, its manufacturer Purdue Pharma, and the consequences of its widespread use provides a critical understanding of the public health emergency still unfolding today.

In 1997, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) relaxed its rules on broadcasting prescription drug advertising, leading to an explosion of promotional content targeting the general public. This created the modern environment for the **direct-to-consumer (DTC) drug**, a pharmaceutical product marketed directly to patients rather than solely to healthcare providers. Today, the U.S. and New Zealand are the only two countries that permit this form of prescription drug marketing, sparking both praise and controversy within the medical community.