Celebrities Flock to Drug Ads

From Rob Lowe to Danny Glover to Kelsey Grammar to Lorraine Bracco to Julie Andrews to Cheryl Ladd, all the stars have jumped on the celebrity drug advertising train. Pulling in from $200K to $1 million, Hollywood stars have been schilling for drug companies since Jon Lunden promoted Claritan in 1988. Most of the ads these celebrities appear in, to skirt ugly disclaimers, don't mention the drug but simply point out possible symptoms and direct viewers to the drug maker's website. TNS Media reports these ads are on the rise, doubling to 4.6 percent of all TV drug ads placed from January through April 2005.