The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 278 No 7457 p728
23 June 2007

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Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (advertising complaints investigations)

Two advertising complaints upheld by medicines agency

Two complaints about medicines advertisements have been upheld by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. A third complaint has been rejected by the agency.

A Sanofi Pasteur MSD advertisement for Gardasil (human papillomavirus vaccine) was ruled to be misleading because the supporting data for its claim that the vaccine “reduces the incidence of precancerous vaginal lesions” were not statistically significant. The company agreed to withdraw the claim.

The second upheld complaint concerned a promotional letter for vaccine supplies that had been e-mailed to GPs and that included product claims and indications, and should have complied with all the requirements for medicines advertisements.

The company — GP Supplies Ltd — agreed to restrict its marketing materials to product names, pictures and details of available pack quantities and strengths.

A complaint that claims made in an advertisement for Reminyl XL (galantamine) were not evidence-based was rejected.