Television advertisements for prescription drugs are illegal in virtually every country on the planet — but not in the U.S., where 80 such ads air, on average, every hour on Americans' televisions.

"Ask your doctor," the narrators tell viewers, urging them to bring up the latest name-brand drugs at their next physician's visit.

Before the 1980s, these types of direct-to-consumer (DTC) ads were unheard of, even in the U.S., but within a few decades, they became among the most common public health messages seen by Americans.

This marketing shift turned out to be incredibly lucrative for Big Pharma, but its effects on public health — and individual health — are highly questionable, as the ads continue to drive consumers to request drugs from their doctors, whether they need them or not.

FDA's loose guidelines paved the way for TV drug ads

Before the 1980s, pharmaceutical companies marketed directly to doctors, instead of to patients. Drug industry executives even told Congress at the time that they believed directly advertising drugs to consumers was not "in the public health interest" and "cannot safely be accomplished."

A cultural shift soon emerged, however, to empower patients to be more involved in their own healthcare, instead of solely listening to their doctors. Advertisers jumped on the trend but, still, drug advertisements to consumers only appeared in print ads, including in magazines, but not on TV.