How the MAHA Commission Could Influence Pharmaceutical Marketing and Prescriber Education

The Make America Health Again (MAHA) Commission, introduced in 2025, is shaping conversations about healthcare policy and industry practices. While its primary mission is to address chronic disease in children, its recommendations touch on pharmaceutical marketing, prescriber education, and consumer engagement.

The United States and New Zealand are the only high-income countries that allow for direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription drugs. In the U.S., DTC advertising spending has seen a dramatic increase over the last several decades.

In its recent “Make Our Children Healthy Again” report, the MAHA Commission puts DTC pharmaceutical advertising under the microscope, writing:

“FDA, HHS, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and Department of Justice will increase oversight and enforcement under current authorities for violations of direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug advertising laws. Egregious violations demonstrating harm from current practices will be prioritized, including by social media influencers and DTC telehealth companies (including dissemination of risk information and quality of life through misleading and deceptive advertising on social media and digital platforms).”

While the MAHA Commission argues this marketing practice can lead to overmedicalization, studies have demonstrated benefits of DTC ads. Specifically, DTC advertising can improve patient outcomes in a variety of ways, such as engaging patients to participate in their own healthcare through enhanced patient awareness, overcoming the underutilization of effective disease treatments, improving adherence to medications, and strengthening physician-patient relationships.

Pharmaceutical companies also play a major role in continuing medical education (CME). Industry funding covers a substantial portion of CME costs in the U.S. This funding supports widespread access to educational programs, keeping clinicians informed about emerging therapies as well as evolving standards of care. This in turn allows for doctors to implement novel technologies and treatments to improve patient outcomes. MAHA emphasizes transparency to ensure educational content remains evidence-based and free from undue influence. Proposed reforms include clearer disclosure of sponsorship and separation between marketing and education.

The MAHA Commission’s recommendations could reshape how pharmaceutical companies approach marketing and prescriber engagement. If implemented, these changes could manifest in a variety of ways, including greater investment from companies in unbiased, evidence-based education initiatives, enhanced compliance programs to meet transparency standards, and marketing strategies that balance consumer awareness with scientific integrity.

In addition to addressing marketing practices of pharmaceutical companies, the MAHA Strategy also plans to reform the way the food industry markets. Specifically, the strategy specifies that “HHS and FTC, along with other relevant agencies, will explore the development of potential industry guidelines to limit the direct marketing of certain unhealthy foods to children, including by evaluating the use of misleading claims and imagery.”

We will continue to cover the legal, scientific, and regulatory impact of the MAHA Commission’s report on industry practices within the Pharmaceutical and Food Industries.