Fifty Years Of Pharmaceutical Price Advertising

50 years ago today the U.S. Supreme Court decided Virginia State Board of Pharmacy v. Virginia Citizens Consumer Council, Inc.:

"In a 7-to-1 opinion, SCOTUS held that the First Amendment protects willing speakers and willing listeners equally. The Court noted that in cases of commercial speech, such as price advertising, freedom of speech protections apply just as they would to noncommercial speech. Even speech that is sold for profit, or involves financial solicitations, is protected. The Court concluded that although the Virginia State Board of Pharmacy has a legitimate interest in preserving professionalism among its members, it may not do so at the expense of public knowledge about lawful competitive pricing terms."

This decision opened the door to all manner of medical related advertising, but also medical price transparency.