The head of the Food and Drug Administration is out. It doesn’t matter very much if Dr. Marty Makary resigned or was fired. Pressure had been mounting for weeks to get rid of the commissioner of the FDA.

Dr. Makary was not popular with the food industry for banning artificial food dyes found in thousands of products, from sports drinks and cereals to candy and frozen desserts. Media companies may have feared him because he threatened to make drug commercials disappear from TV and cable channels.

Big Pharma was almost assuredly annoyed with the head of the FDA over this stance. Months ago, he wrote, “For far too long, the FDA has permitted misleading drug advertisements, distorting the doctor-patient relationship and creating increased demand for medications regardless of clinical appropriateness. Drug companies spend up to 25% of their budget on advertising. Those billions of dollars would be better spent on lowering drug prices for everyday Americans.”

It remains unclear whether the new leadership at the FDA will keep trying to rein in drug commercials on TV. We would be surprised if this initiative survives Dr. Makary’s departure.

Here is how readers of this column feel about prescription drug advertisements. Lisa writes, “I am a former R.N., and my husband is a retired cardiologist. We hate these ads. They are a waste of money that could be put toward research or lowering drug costs.”

Karen offers a similar perspective from a different professional vantage point. “Has it already been stated that physicians absolutely hate these ads?

I am a retired professional pharmaceutical representative. For 35 years, I called on physicians and other prescribing practitioners. They told me that patients would see these ads on television and request the drug on their next visit.

“Too often the drug was not indicated for that patient, and the clinician had to take the time to explain why not. In one example, a female patient, 55 years of age, asked for a prostate drug. Evidently, the commercial did not clearly state it was for men only. Let the M.D.s do their jobs.”

Another health professional joins the chorus: “I’m sure it’s annoying to doctors to have to waste time explaining that the drug the patient saw on TV is not in their best interests.

After being a pharmacist for 30 years, I absolutely despise drug advertisements. I especially hate the mini-musicals, where a supposed patient using the drug sings a song about it. Or the Wegovy advertisement where a bunch of overweight people walk down the street looking like they just won the top prize in Powerball. This needs to stop.”

There are, however, some people who appreciate drug ads. One reader says, “I actually like the commercials. They show possible treatments for problems patients may have.”

That is often the rationale that pharmaceutical manufacturers advance for advertisements. Our readers are more likely to object, however.

Sharon expresses a common opinion: “I am caregiving for my elderly mom, and we watch a lot of TV.

Drug ads are obnoxious and misleading. Many do not tell what they are really for and show happy people joyfully taking them. We mute the sound because we do not want to hear abo ut side effects like stroke, heart attacks or diarrhea. We are one of only two countries in the world that allow this. Please have Congress vote this stuff off TV.”

That is not likely. Like the FDA, Congress gets way too much money from Big Pharma to consider biting the hand that feeds it.

In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of King Features, 300 W. 57th Street, 41st Floor, New York, NY 10019, or email them via their website: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their newest book is “Top Screwups Doctors Make and How to Avoid Them.”