The Congressional Budget Office has issued an Economic and Budget Issue Brief on "Promotional Spending for Prescription Drugs." The report discusses trends in how pharmaceutical manufacturers market to consumers and prescribers, in such areas as detailing, sponsorship of meetings, direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising, and journal advertising. The report also discusses how market factors (e.g., size of the market, current competition in that market, and the time that has elapsed since FDA approval) affect a manufacturer’s decision to use marketing tools, particularly DTC advertising and detailing. The report does not make formal recommendations for policy changes.