Is this a joke?

> Finding: From 1997 through 2016, medical marketing expanded substantially, and spending increased from $17.7 to $29.9 billion

Adjusted for inflation, that might even constitute a decrease in spending: 2.5% annual marketing spend increase vs, I'm guessing, 3% inflation '97-2016?

> Meaning: There has been marked growth in expenditures on and extent of medical marketing in the United States from 1997 through 2016.

Not that we shouldn't have a good talk about medical marketing, but this isn't the basis for it.