Lady Gaga and I have something in common: We both suffer from migraines. Mine hit like a ton of bricks with blinding pain, dizziness, nausea … the whole shebang. After years of treating episodes with OTC pain relievers, injectable NSAIDs, hot-and-cold therapy, massage, a McDonald’s fry and Diet Coke (seriously), and whatever else might work, I finally had a conversation with my doctor about prescription drug options last year.

“Have you heard of Nurtec ODT?” my physician asked during an office appointment. “You’ve probably seen the ads with Lady Gaga on Instagram.” She turned back to her computer, pulled up one of the ads on YouTube, and we watched Lady Gaga sell us on the merits of the migraine drug.

The experience was the first time that a DTC pharma ad played a role in my medical decision-making and brought home that the drugs I write about every day at work may end up on a script for me at the pharmacy. Now, this marketing touchpoint between pharma companies and patients, for better or for worse, is facing a new challenge from lawmakers. Today, we’re exploring how a new bill in Congress could ban DTC pharma ads and which drugmakers would be most impacted. We’re also looking at a new pilot program from the FDA that aims to speed along drug reviews.

Thanks for reading.

Editor’s note: We’re off tomorrow, Thursday, June 19, in recognition of the Juneteenth holiday. We’ll be back in your inbox on Friday.