At the end of August, tennis star Serena Williams advertised a new weight-loss drug. The slogan, in Williams's voice, was: They say GLP-1a drug that mimics a hormone that regulates blood sugar, appetite, and slows digestionis a shortcut to weight loss, but it's not. It's science. Interestingly, Serena Williams's husband is an investor and member of the board of Ro, the healthcare company that offers it.
You see, until 1997, drug companies were required to include massive amounts of information about a drug's potential side effects and risks in any ads for it. The amount of information required could fit in, say, a full-page magazine ad - but it was far too much to squeeze into a 30- or 60-second TV spot. That meant pharmaceutical ads were, while not banned, almost unheard of on television.