The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has written to four pharmaceutical companies warning them over inaccuracies in the marketing of their drugs.
Eli Lilly, Bayer, Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Cephalon all received letters warning them over inaccurate or incomplete statements while promoting some medication.
Lilly was rapped for an advert for antidepressant Cymbalta, with the FDA saying it failed to adequately display information about the drug’s side effects.
The Indianapolis-based company said it is working to remove the materials from marketing circulation.
“Lilly is committed to providing clinically accurate and balanced promotional materials to health care professionals and patients,” the company said in a statement.
The FDA’s letter to Cephalon, based in Frazer, Pennsylvania, made similar complaints about missing risk information in the company’s promotional cards for Treanda, a lymphoma treatment.
The FDA says the card is “false or misleading because it omits important risk information.” The drug has been linked to serious infections, skin reactions and other side effects.
A spokeswoman for Cephalon said the company has instructed sales people to stop using the card. The company has already responded to FDA’s concerns and is also reviewing all marketing materials for Treanda, she added.
Copyright Press Association 2010
