FDA: Painkiller Ads Misleading January 14, 2005
News Summary
Pfizer Inc. ads for the painkillers Celebrex and Bextra mislead consumers and fail to properly disclose the drugs' side-effects, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told the pharmaceutical company.Reuters reported Jan. 12 that the FDA cited five separate print and TV ads for making "unsubstantiated effectiveness claims."
However, the FDA said the letter sent to Pfizer on Jan. 10 was not a warning, but rather a statement of a potential problem. A Pfizer spokesperson said the company is in discussions with the agency on the matter and has agreed not to run more ads for Celebrex. She also said there is little consumer advertising of Bextra.
COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE:
(Comments now appear first to last)