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Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

Yes.

Pharmaceutical companies spent over $10.1 billion on drug advertising in 2024 with the top 10 drugs accounting for a third of spending. Over $5 billion of the spending was on TV ads, with the other half spent on radio, print, streaming and online ads.  

The advertising for these pharmaceutical companies made up 24.4% of evening ad minutes on news programs through ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and NBC between Jan. 1 and May 31 of this year. 

Drug company AbbVie spent the most, totaling over $1 billion on ads for Skyrizi and Rinvoq, which are used to treat inflammatory conditions. AbbVie increased spending on advertisements for Skyrizi by 150%.

Between 2023 and 2024, consumer advertising of the weight management drug Wegovy increased 330%. During that period, usage among teens increased 50%.

The U.S. is one of only two countries that allow direct pharmaceutical advertising.

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Margaret Shreiner joined Wisconsin Watch as a reporting intern in March 2025. She is currently attending UW-Madison’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, pursuing a double major in journalism and history with a minor in digital media analytics. Margaret has also worked since 2023 with The Badger Herald — a student newspaper at UW-Madison — where she currently serves as the managing editor. Upon graduating in December 2025, she plans to earn a master’s in data science and pursue data-driven journalism.