Companies can promote drugs only for their federally approved purposes - their so-called "on label" use.

The use of the media to promote drugs particularly enrages many medical people.

Drug companies may not promote or market drugs for off-label uses.

Access to pharmaceutical industry documents have revealed marketing strategies used to promote drugs for off-label use.

That began to change in 1984, when Congress passed a bill to promote generic drugs.

Doctors cannot provide lists of patients to drug companies, which could use the information to promote drugs for specific conditions like asthma, heart disease or diabetes.

They should not be stonewalling regulators, soft-pedaling risk to doctors or promoting drugs to millions of people who don't need them.

There is therefore the issue of the cost, but also of promoting new drugs.

That would exclude, for instance, anyone who was paid by the marketing departments to promote drugs.