A new conservative-leaning coalition, supported by former Trump strategist Steve Bannon, author Naomi Wolf and the advocacy group Bust Big Pharma, has begun a national campaign to curb pharmaceutical advertising on television. The organisers argue that cable news networks such as MSNBC and CNN depend on drug commercials for roughly 31% of their advertising revenue, a reliance they say distorts coverage of health-policy debates. The coalition’s policy blueprint includes three measures: closing the federal tax loophole that currently allows drug makers to deduct 100% of their advertising costs; imposing a dollar-for-dollar fee on those expenditures to finance Medicare and Medicaid; and ultimately banning direct-to-consumer prescription-drug commercials in the United States, one of only two countries that permit such ads. Campaign leaders cite new polling indicating that 75% of American voters would reject any political candidate who accepts money from pharmaceutical companies, contending the issue could influence next year’s midterm elections. They have launched an online petition to build public pressure for congressional action, framing the initiative as a test of lawmakers’ willingness to challenge industry influence.