WASHINGTON, Oct 28 (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards on Sunday unveiled a plan to put controls on drug advertising, which he said were misleading patients and driving up health care costs.

The former North Carolina senator, who has attacked lobbyists and championed the concerns of the poor in his campaign, proposes delays on consumer advertising of new drugs and tougher Food and Drug Administration oversight over drug marketing.

"The excessive costs of prescription drugs are straining family budgets and contributing to runaway health care costs," Edwards said at the start of a seven-day campaign tour of the early-voting states of New Hampshire and Iowa.

"With such aggressive and often misleading drug company marketing, it's too easy for advertising -- instead of doctors or proven results -- to influence families' health decisions," Edwards' campaign quoted him as saying.

Drug advertising revenues had quadrupled to over $4 billion a year in the 10 years since rules were relaxed to allow firms to advertise medicines directly to consumers, he said. But the FDA had reviewed only a fraction of the ads, Edwards added.

The Edwards plan would institute a two-year delay on consumer advertising of all new drugs, and require FDA approval before drug companies launch major ad campaigns.

Firms would also be required to disclose more information about side effects and comparisons of drugs against placebos and alternatives.

Health care has become a major issue in the presidential campaign, especially among Democrats, and the leading candidates for the party's nomination for the November 2008 election have released detailed health care plans.

The drug advertising proposal is part of Edwards' plan, which requires health insurance for all at an estimated cost of about $120 billion per year.

Edwards' health policy forces private companies, government and individuals to share responsibility for obtaining coverage. It sets up regional Health Care Markets, or purchasing pools to give Americans the option of buying into a health care plan.

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