Companies cannot directly advertise drugs for purposes not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Already, some companies have said they will disclose risks more prominently when they advertise drugs directly to consumers.

Several companies began advertising such drugs in general-interest magazines last year.

It is unlikely that the guidelines will require a moratorium on advertising new drugs, said Ken Johnson, a spokesman for the association.

PLoS Medicine is the first major international general medical journal to refuse to advertise medical drugs or devices [5].

The F.D.A. has admonished companies about commercials advertising drugs for allergies, asthma, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, hair loss and sexually transmitted diseases, among others.

Dr. Kessler was more successful in cracking down on companies that advertised or pushed drugs for uses that had not been approved by the agency.

Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced it would embrace a one-year moratorium on advertising new drugs.

Advertorials commonly advertise new products or techniques, such as a new design for golf equipment, a new form of laser surgery, or weight-loss drugs.

For them, criminals are harsh unscrupulous competitors who advertise fake drugs and put at risk the reputation of all online pharmacies which operate honestly.