A 2017 survey from the public opinion research firm Public Opinion Strategies found that nearly three-quarters of Americans had seen TV ads by attorneys warning about the dangers of certain pharmaceuticals. It turns out, the Federal Trade Commission has watched these ads too, and it doesn’t always like what it sees.

Letters recently obtained by ALM show that several law firms and legal marketers across the country received warning letters in September over TV ads they were airing about allegedly dangerous medications that are now the subject of mass tort litigation. And, according to an FTC attorney, those letters were part of a new initiative by the agency aimed at keeping an eye on legal ads that may be alarming for viewers and could potentially lead them to stop taking their prescribed medications.