The news: Pharma advertisers spent $5.96 billion on national TV drug advertising in 2025, up 16% YoY, with the biggest spending jumps in weight loss, mental health conditions, and cancer categories, per iSpot.tv data.

• Weight loss and blood disorders (such as type 2 diabetes) drug ad spending climbed to $460 million, up 67% YoY.
• The depression, bipolar, and insomnia category grew to $799 million, up 56% YoY.
• Cancer drug TV spending reached $363 million, up 43% YoY.

Meanwhile, TV ad spending dropped in categories like men’s and women’s health (down 40%), prescription allergy, cold, and flu (down 39%), and Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis (down 15%), per iSpot data.

Why it matters: Pharma’s national TV ad spending remained strong in 2025, reinforcing linear TV’s role in driving awareness for new and competitive drugs. Still, regulatory pressure that intensified later in the year, alongside shifting viewer habits will continue to drive incremental video spending to digital and connected TV channels.

The Trump administration cracked down on pharma direct-to-consumer (D2C) advertising in September, and the FDA sent more than 100 letters warning pharma marketers about misleading ads. The agency also pledged to redraw regulations to require a full list of risk disclosures, potentially making TV ads longer and more expensive, though the rules have not yet been finalized.

Key stat: We forecast healthcare and pharma digital ad spending will increase to $26.15 billion this year, up 5.6% YoY, while traditional ad spending will decline.

Implications for pharma marketers and agencies: Regulatory uncertainty is shaping how pharma ad campaigns are planned and executed, even before formal rule changes take effect. The prospect of stricter disclosure requirements—and recent regulatory warning letters—may already be influencing brands’ creative and media strategies.

Novo Nordisk’s recent Ozempic campaign, which runs on social and streaming platforms and features more than two minutes of risk disclosures, illustrates how advertisers may adapt by favoring formats better suited to longer disclosures.

Even without finalized rule changes, marketers will need to prioritize compliance not only on TV, but also across social media and influencer content, which the FDA also flagged in its September enforcement push.