Pharmaceutical Group Spent $59 Million on Search Ads

The lobbying group for the U.S. pharmaceutical industry spent an estimated $59 million on search advertising over a recent seven-year period to influence public opinion on prescription drug costs. The Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) accounted for roughly $32 million of this spending on ads related to insurance and health plan searches, while $28 million targeted its web pages criticizing pharmacy benefit managers.

Spending increased around significant legislative and regulatory actions, such as Medicare’s drug price negotiations starting in 2023. PhRMA utilized over 283,500 distinct keywords to generate 17.1 million paid visits from 2019 through 2025, according to an analysis published in Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics.

Source: statnews.com · Image: Food Administration – Anti-Waste Campaign – War activities in Duluth, Minnesota. Window display advertising use of substitutes – NARA – 31482446 by Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons