Because over 60 years ago, Congress told FDA to do it (rather than have the FTC do it like they do other TV advertising) - S. 1552 (87th): An Act to protect the public health by amending the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to assure the safety, effectiveness, and reliability of drugs, authorize standardization of drug names, and clarify and ...... strengthen existing inspection authority; and for other purposes
At the time, most of that was done as "labeling via inserts" or through medical publications, but not really to TV, so it wasn't necessarily a big deal until obviously TV became a huge "thing". You also had many consumers desire this because they felt their doctors were operating in some kind of "black box" without any impetus to explain the whats and whys of the drugs they were prescribing. I know I grew up with a PDR (Physician's Desk Reference) in my household!
Congress has tried to amend those amendments to the FD&C Act for years but none have been able to get through and come to fruition.
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