"I do think more pharmaceutical advertising will come online, just not aggressively," Mr. Mahaney said.

"Consumers rate magazines as the most appropriate medium" for pharmaceutical advertising, she said, at 58 percent, television had 27 percent and newspapers, 8 percent.

Canada's limitations on pharmaceutical advertising ensure that commercials that mention the name of a product cannot in any way describe what it does.

"Now I believe that pharmaceutical advertising to consumers is one of the biggest growth categories in the ad business."

Magazine publishers, of course, are not solely motivated by good will, but also by the enormous flood of pharmaceutical advertising in the last five years.

"You cannot ignore the growing amount that's being spent on pharmaceutical advertising," Mr. Thomas said.

Her later career experience was in pharmaceutical advertising.

The advertising industry has fallen under increased scrutiny by Congress, particularly for pharmaceutical and food advertising and product placement on television.

This decision has far-reaching implications, particularly in the era of direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising.

"We have become increasingly convinced that pharmaceutical advertising can occur, and does occur, without violating the rules."