Pharmaceutical companies are adopting a new candid approach in their direct-to-consumer (DTC)advertising of pharmaceutical products. This si in the wake of a number of withdrawals from the market, including Vioxx, a COX-2 inhibitor, which was withdrawn in September 2004 for increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular problems. The United States and New Zealand are the only countries which allow DTC advertising of prescription drugs.