Healthy Skepticism Library item: 13886

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: news

Eli Lilly to pay $60,000 fine
Pharmacy Daily (Australia) - registration required 2008 Jul 1
http://www.pharmacydaily.com.au

Full text:

A JUDGEMENT about complaints relating to the advertising of Eli Lilly’s Cialis erectile dysfunction
drug will see the company fined a whopping $60,000.

Melbourne academic Ken Harvey and CHOICE lodged two complaints about a press release issued by the company on 29 Apr.

Harvey claimed that rather than being bona fide ‘news’ the release was promotion of the prescription medication to the general public.

The Medicines Australia Code of Conduct committee found that the press release was promotional
because it included the results of a survey without giving details of its methodology and analysis.

In a unanimous decision the committee decided Eli Lilly had breached parts of the code relating to ‘product specific media statements’ and ‘promotionto the general public’.

As well as the $60,000 fine the company was told to withdraw the media release, but wasn’t ordered to undertake corrective advertising, as this would “provide Eli Lilly with another opportunity to discuss the product with the general public.”