Almost two-thirds (64%) of people who have seen prescription drug ads say that these advertisements provide useful information “most” (22%) or “some” (42%) of the time. Just over one-third (35%) say the information in ads is “hardly ever” or “never” useful.

In 2000, views were mixed on how well television ads present specific information about prescription drugs. Almost six in ten (58%) said ads do an “excellent” or “good” job explaining the potential benefits of the drug, while four in ten (40%) said they do a “fair” or “poor” job. About half (51%) said ads do an “excellent” or “good” job explaining the condition the drug is designed to treat and slightly fewer said the same about ads’ explanation of potential side effects of the medication (45%).