FDA Initiates Program to Target Misleading Drug Ads

Federal drug regulators are hoping to recruit doctors in the hunt for misleading drug advertisements through a new initiative aimed at marketing materials that provide inaccurate or misleading information, or make statements that downplay or omit the negative side effects of drugs.

The FDA unveiled its new “Bad Ad Program” this week, which is sponsored by the agency’s Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising, and Communications (DDMAC). The program is aimed at getting health care providers to pay more attention to presentations and advertisements, and FDA officials hope it will give them an eye into private promotional activities where FDA regulators are not present.

The agency will focus on providing educational materials to doctors, bringing attention to the most common forms of misleading drug advertisements. Health care professionals will be encouraged to report potential violations at badad@fda.gov. They will be allowed to report anonymously if necessary.

Did You Know?

Millions of Philips CPAP Machines Recalled

Philips DreamStation, CPAP and BiPAP machines sold in recent years may pose a risk of cancer, lung damage and other injuries.

Learn More

“The Bad Ad Program will help health care providers recognize misleading prescription drug promotion and provide them with an easy way to report this activity to the agency,” according to Thomas Abrams, director of DDMAC.

The new program comes after a number of drug makers were warned by FDA about misleading advertisements; many of which were at conferences or in internet videos targeting health care providers.

Last month, FDA sent a warning letter to Biogen Idec, Inc., for downplaying the risks of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a rare, but often fatal, brain infection that has been linked to the multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri. The statements were made in a series of webcasts used to promote the drug between late October and early November of 2009.

In January ,the FDA fired off warnings to Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly and Co., Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals and Cephalon. In the letter to Amylin, the FDA cited the company for promoting Byetta as a stand-alone diabetes drug at the Endocrine Society’s Annual Meeting, before it was approved as such. Eli Lilly was warned that its direct-to-consumer print advertisements for the antipsychotic Cymbalta buried health risk information and made it appear unrelated to the drug. Cephalon was cited for omitting health risk information on pocket dosing cards for Treanda, a leukemia medication.

Bayer Healthcare also received a letter accusing the company of overstating the effectiveness of the Mirena intrauterine device (IUD) and minimizing health risks in a live consumer-directed program where representatives travel to consumers’ homes.

Bayer has run into trouble in the past with the FDA over marketing claims involving its contraceptive products. In late 2008, the FDA and several state attorney generals forced Bayer to run a $20 million corrective advertising campaign for its Yaz birth control pills because prior marketing contained false claims about the drug’s acne and PMS-fighting benefits, and did not clearly state all of the known Yaz side effects, drowning some of them out with loud music. As a result of the misleading advertisements, Bayer agreed that the FDA will screen future Yaz ads for six years before they can be aired.

2 Comments

  • MeridithtMay 17, 2010 at 7:20 pm

    I think that with an area so rich and out of control as the pharmaceutical industry one of our best tools as a society is legal practicers who have the knowledge and power to stop the madness. Big pharma is rifewith off-label marketing, misrepresentationgreed and fraud. This must be brought under to control. A place to go to get evidence and factual data pertaining especially to psychiatric d[Show More]I think that with an area so rich and out of control as the pharmaceutical industry one of our best tools as a society is legal practicers who have the knowledge and power to stop the madness. Big pharma is rifewith off-label marketing, misrepresentationgreed and fraud. This must be brought under to control. A place to go to get evidence and factual data pertaining especially to psychiatric drugs is Citizen's Commission on Human Rights at CCHR.org. They also have an interesting drug search function on their website.

  • PaulMay 12, 2010 at 3:54 pm

    MDTV Medical News Now and www.MDTVNews.com urges the public to stay informed and aware of these happenings. It's a three legged approach, if not more.. The Doctors and Pharmaceutical must be truthful, truthful, truthful and People need to have a platform that they can trust. Watch MDTV Medical News Now and visit www.MDTVNews.com to stay informed and aware of these happenings. Pharmaceutica[Show More]MDTV Medical News Now and www.MDTVNews.com urges the public to stay informed and aware of these happenings. It's a three legged approach, if not more.. The Doctors and Pharmaceutical must be truthful, truthful, truthful and People need to have a platform that they can trust. Watch MDTV Medical News Now and visit www.MDTVNews.com to stay informed and aware of these happenings. Pharmaceutical companies can have their campaign reviewed by the self regulated MDTV American Medical Marketing Responsibility and Compliance Authority. If so, none of this would EVER Happen. Guaranteed. Call 1800-985-MDTV with any questions.

Share Your Comments

I authorize the above comments be posted on this page*

Want your comments reviewed by a lawyer?

To have an attorney review your comments and contact you about a potential case, provide your contact information below. This will not be published.

NOTE: Providing information for review by an attorney does not form an attorney-client relationship.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

More Top Stories