Trump administration wants full safety disclosures on TV drug ads; chronic disease deaths fall worldwide; the importance of treating opioid addiction in jail – Morning Medical Update

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Trump administration moves to end TV drug ads without full safety disclosures

Earlier this week, President Trump signed a memorandum directing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to roll back 1997-era rules that opened the floodgates for direct-to-consumer drug advertising, requiring companies to once again include full safety warnings — like contraindications and boxed warnings — directly in TV and digital ads. The FDA and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said they will also step up enforcement against misleading promotion, expand oversight to social media and influencer campaigns and issue warning letters across the industry.

The move follows decades of research showing that drug ads drive prescribing even when not clinically appropriate, account for nearly a third of the rise in U.S. drug spending and rarely provide balanced medical information. The policy shift is likely to face court challenges from drug makers. Past efforts to restrict drug advertising were blocked by courts on First Amendment grounds, The New York Times reports. If successful, could reshape a $13 billion advertising market and cut into revenue for both pharmaceutical firms and major broadcast networks.

Chronic disease deaths falling worldwide, though progress is slowing

A global analysis led by Imperial College London finds that deaths from chronic illnesses like cancer, heart disease and stroke declined in 80% of countries between 2010 and 2019, yet progress has slowed compared with the previous decade. Published in The Lancet, the study highlights wide disparities: South Korea, Denmark and Singapore made major gains, while the U.S. and Germany lagged with some of the smallest improvements. Researchers warn that stalled access to preventive care, cancer screening, and treatment programs could erase earlier progress, urging renewed investment as world leaders prepare to address non-communicable diseases at the UN General Assembly later this month.

The importance of treating opioid addiction in jail

A National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study in The New England Journal of Medicine shows that offering medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in jail dramatically improves survival and recovery after release. Analyzing data from over 6,000 incarcerated people in Massachusetts, researchers found that those who received MOUD were far more likely to stay in treatment and had a 52% lower risk of fatal overdose, a 56% lower risk of death from any cause and reduced chances of reincarceration compared with those untreated. In spite of this strong evidence, only about 13% of U.S. jails currently provide these medications.