"174 drugs. We also advance public health by helping people get the accurate, science - based information they need to use medicines approp riately and improve their health. Prescription drug advertisements can provide useful information for consumers to work with their health care providers to make wise decisions about treatment. FDA Authority Over Advertising The FDA serves the public heal th and welfare in many ways. One way is overseeing the approval and marketing of prescription drugs. It's authority is based on a number of federal laws, including the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Among other areas, this law specifically addresses prescription drug advertising. This law requires that advertisements for prescription drugs be accurate and not misleading. Direct - to - consumer (DTC) advertising is a relatively new area of prescription drug promotion. No federal law has ever banned DTC ad vertising. Until the mid - 1980s, drug companies gave information about prescription drugs only to doctors and pharmacists. When these professionals thought it appropriate, they gave that information to their patients. However, during the 1980s, some drug co mpanies started to give the general public more direct access to this information through DTC ads. The law requires that product claim ads give a \"fair balance\" of information about drug risks as compared with information about drug benefits. This means th at the content and presentation of a drug's most important risks must be reasonably similar to the content and presentation of its benefits. This does not mean that equal space must be given to risks and benefits in print ads, or equal time to risks and be nefits in broadcast ads. The amount of time or space needed to present risk information will depend on the drug's risks and the way that both the benefits and risks are presented. Think about the following questions when you see an ad for a prescription dr ug. Also, think about asking these questions when you talk to your doctor or pharmacist about a drug. • What condition does this drug treat? • Why do I think that I might have this condition? • If I have the condition, am I part of the population the drug is ap proved to treat? • Should I take this drug if I have a certain condition? • Should I take this drug if I am taking certain other drugs? • Which of the drug's possible side effects am I concerned about? • How will this drug affect other drugs I am taking? • Will food s, beverages (alcoholic or non - alcoholic), vitamins, or other supplements affect how this drug works? • Are there other drugs that treat my condition? • Is there a less costly drug I could use to treat my condition? • What else can I do to help deal with my cond ition? For example, should I exercise or change my diet?"