Urge your State Representative to SUPPORT HB 1157 to protect Tennesseans from false or misleading promotional statements regarding pharamaceuticals.

HB 1157 ensures that the Tennessee Department of Health and other state agencies do not promote or endorse pharmaceuticals in a manner that conflicts with FDA-approved labeling standards. This bill brings Tennessee’s public health messaging in line with the same regulations that govern the FDA and other federal agencies, ensuring that state-funded health communications are accurate, unbiased, and free from promotional influence.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, government health agencies were found to have misrepresented or selectively promoted pharmaceutical products, often making claims that went beyond official FDA guidance. HB 1157 corrects this problem by prohibiting the Tennessee Department of Health and local health departments from promoting, endorsing, or distributing information about FDA-regulated products in a way that conflicts with or misrepresents FDA-approved labels.

The bill also establishes a compliance review process to ensure state health communications remain factual and transparent. It includes penalties for violations, such as disciplinary action for state employees and financial penalties for grant recipients who misuse state funds to promote pharmaceuticals outside of approved guidelines.

By passing HB 1157, Tennessee restores public trust in health messaging, prevents government overreach in pharmaceutical promotion, and ensures that medical decisions remain in the hands of individuals and their healthcare providers—not state bureaucracies.