Is Australia free from direct-to-customer advertising?

Summary Direct-to-consumer advertising is the promotion of prescription medicines to the general public. It is legal in New Zealand and the USA where it is a very effective marketing strategy and is growing rapidly. Several studies have shown that direct-to-consumer advertising commonly contains misleading, inaccurate or unbalanced information. Direct-to-consumer advertising is not currently allowed in Australia, however drug companies can try to overcome the ban.