Name That Drug

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Recently there's been a few drug companies that seem to have found a loophole in the drug advertising system. The law from the Food and Drug Administration is, if you are advertising a product, you have to name all of its possible side effects and dangers, which can often consume many costly seconds. However, if the product is not named, then side effects can be omitted from the ad.

The ads you saw obviously direct you to the website Silence Your Rooster. Here the product is advertised, and all of the information about the drug at hand (Ambien CR) can be found, without the advertiser having to buy air time.

It's a neat tactic, and I wouldn't be surprised if this became the next big thing in drug advertising. All they have to do is set up some brand association in an initial set of ads, then drop the drug name and rake in the broadcast time.

Another company working this angle is Pfizer, who advertised their anti-smoking drug Chantix with an ad directing people to Mytimetoquit.com.