The data: Over-the-counter health brands led consumer views of prescription and OTC content on YouTube in April, according to data shared with EMARKETER by video intelligence company Tubular Labs.

• Five of the top seven brands on YouTube were OTC, led by allergy brand Claritin with 238 million video or ad views in the top spot.
• Johnson & Johnson’s Spravato prescription nasal spray for depression was the best-performing prescription brand-name drug at No. 5 with 23.7 million YouTube views.

Why it matters: OTC brands don’t have to meet the same regulatory requirements as prescription drug brands, which have strict guidelines for advertising and marketing content. However prescription brands’ comparatively limited presence on YouTube may be a missed opportunity to reach consumers seeking health information.

Prescription brands must present benefits and risks in fair balance in videos and ads, per FDA requirements. That often results in longer videos that include extensive lists of potential side effects and risks. Rx companies also must monitor and report consumer comments that indicate adverse events to the FDA.

Still, YouTube leads social platforms for health information searches, according to EMARKETER’s January 2026 US Digital Health survey, suggesting prescription brands may have less visibility with consumers researching health information and treatments compared with OTC brands. Among consumers who use social media to find health information, 66% use YouTube, followed by 50% who use Facebook, 42% who use Instagram, and 36% who use TikTok.

Implications for Rx drugmakers: Prescription drug brands’ cautious approach on YouTube risks giving OTC brands, wellness companies, and health content creators more influence on one of the biggest health information platforms.

That leaves Rx brands with less control over how treatments and conditions are framed and fewer opportunities to guide consumers to educational or branded sites. We’ve already seen this happen in categories like prescription weight loss drugs, where influencer and user-generated content have become a major source of information, even when it downplays risks and oversimplifies benefits.

Prescription drug brands can navigate YouTube by exercising similar caution to their linear and connected TV advertising. This entails balancing fair balance and safety language and either closely following FDA rules around consumer comments or turning off the ability to leave them.

This content is part of EMARKETER’s subscription Briefings, where we pair daily updates with data and analysis from forecasts and research reports. Our Briefings prepare you to start your day informed, to provide critical insights in an important meeting, and to understand the context of what’s happening in your industry. Not a subscriber? Click here to get a demo of our full platform and coverage.