Healthy Skepticism Library item: 727

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

Reuters .
FDA Warns Barr Over Seasonale Commercial
Reuters 2004 Dec 31

Full text:

A television commercial for Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc.‘s Seasonale misleads consumers by excluding risk information to make the birth control pill seem safer, U.S. health regulators warned in a letter released on Thursday.

The commercial suggests use of the oral contraceptive leads to only four
menstrual periods a year but fails to mention frequent and sometimes
substantial bleeding, the FDA (news – web sites) said in the Dec. 29
letter.

Barr’s advertisement plays down the risk of irregular menstrual bleeding
that can be as heavy as a regular period by suggesting it would subside
with continued use of the pill, the letter said.