MHRA publicises changes to misleading advertisements
Action taken by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency against misleading advertising for medicines is now being published by the agency.
A television advertisement for Gavilast, a pharmacy medicine, has been
changed because of MHRA concern about references to the manufacturer’s
website for another product (Gaviscon).
This, the agency argued, could lead to inappropriate use of Gavilast by pregnant
women, which contains ranitidine. Gaviscon, on the other hand, is often used
by pregnant women to treat heartburn.
The MHRA considered that the association made between the two products created
a misleading impression that they were similar and could be used interchangeably.
In an unrelated case, a promotional leaflet and advertising material for the
prescription medicine Diovan (valsartan) was withdrawn after intervention by
the MHRA. The leaflet included the phrase “placebo-like tolerability”.
The MHRA believed that the phrase was not consistent with the product’s
summary of product characteristics because it implied that there were no side
effects and that Diovan was safer than alternatives. |
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