Patient health or corporate profits–Shouldn't the former come first?

In June 2025, the End Prescription Drug Ads Now Act, introduced by Senators Sanders and King, noted concerns regarding direct to consumer (DTC) advertising and called for its abolition. DTC advertising for pharmaceuticals adversely drives up costs for prescription medications and also leads to time wastage for busy physicians. However, the Act did not address the supplement market of which there are now over 95,000 products for which DTC ads are also common despite the fact that evidence suggests that the majority do not work, are of uncertain value, or do not have significant scientific support. Additionally, some have been sanctioned for making false claims; some have significant mislabeling; some have resulted in hospitalizations; and several have had contaminants. Supplements are approved by the FDA as foods, rather than as medications, an entirely different and less rigorous process. Yet many are not advertised as foods nor do patients treat them as such. We believe the supplement approval process as well as DTC advertising for all pharmaceuticals should be reevaluated. Our manuscript below provides more details.