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Unlike in the United States and New Zealand, it’s illegal in Australia to advertise prescription medicines directly to the public.

The main idea is to avoid demand for a drug that may not be appropriate, but which doctors may feel under pressure to prescribe.

But drug companies can get around this restriction by running “awareness” ads that indirectly promote their products.

For instance, we’re currently seeing ads raising awareness about weight loss that don’t mention the names of specific Ozempic-style drugs. Instead, these ads recommend you speak to your doctor about your weight.

The main argument for such awareness ads is they encourage people to seek help from their doctor, rather than suffer from symptoms they might have been embarrassed about, or have not been able to address themselves.

For instance, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly – which make weight-loss drugs – told the ABC recently their campaigns were trying to raise awareness of obesity as a chronic disease.

The main counterargument is that awareness ads act as drug promotion in disguise.

So, should pharmaceutical companies be allowed to run awareness ads for diseases or conditions their drugs treat?

We asked five experts. Four out of five said no. Here are their detailed answers.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Barbara Mintzes, University of Sydney; David Menkes, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Fiona Willer, Queensland University of Technology; Jennifer Power, La Trobe University, and Ray Moynihan, Bond University

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Barbara Mintzes receives research funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). She is also an expert witness for the Therapeutic Goods Administration. She is General Secretary of the International Society of Drug Bulletins (ISDB), Associate Editor of the UK Drug & Therapeutics Bulletin, and a member of Health Action International (HAI-Europe).

David Menkes is reimbursed for his work as a member of the Mental Health Advisory Committee for New Zealand's drug buying agency, PHARMAC.

Jennifer Power receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Australian Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. She has previously received funding from Gilead Sciences and ViiV Healthcare for projects not related to the subject of this article.

Ray Moynihan has received funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, and has helped organise the international scientific conference, Preventing Overdiagnosis.

Fiona Willer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.