12 Feb 2009 08:00 AM
New York Times Examines 'Unusual' FDA Order Requiring Corrections To Yaz Ad Campaign
The New York Times on Wednesday examined Bayer's new $20 million advertising campaign for its oral contraceptive Yaz, the most popular birth control pill in the U.S. The company launched the ad campaign last week under an agreement with FDA and 27 state attorneys general that requires Bayer to correct previous misleading marketing of the drug. Regulators said the original ads overstated Yaz's ability to treat acne and improve women's moods, while downplaying health risks, the Times reports. Bayer also has agreed to submit future Yaz ads for federal screening for the next six years. Although FDA sends a few dozen letters to drug companies each year regarding informational pamphlets and videos, it is "unusual for the government to require commercials to set the record straight," the Times reports. Judy Norsigian, executive director of the health education and women's advocacy group Our Bodies Ourselves, said that FDA "rarely require[s] these corrective campaigns" but that the popularity of Yaz and the misleading ads required the rare sanctions. She added that the inaccurate ads "should never have been out there…

