The FDA forced pharmaceutical giant Bayer HealthCare to revise their television ads about Yaz, the most popular birth control pill in the U.S.
In an unusual crackdown on deceptive drug advertising, the FDA is finally doing what it is charged to do: protect the public against unscrupulous manufacturers who look to profits over safety!
Those ads not only overstated the drug’s ability to improve a woman’s mood and clear acne, but also downplayed its potential health risks. Bayer is now being forced to spend $20 million to run new ads during primetime shows and on cable networks in order to inform women that Yaz does not cure PMS or acne as implied in the original ads.
Bayer had over $600 million in sales of Yaz last year so they won’t have any problem coming up with the mere $20 million in truthful ads they are now being required to air. As always, Bayer did not admit that it had engaged in deceptive advertising or committed any wrongdoing.
We should urge our congressmen and senators to vigorously support a thorough revamping of and appropriate funding for the FDA so we can all feel safer about the drugs we buy and use daily.
Richard J. Arsenault, 2011
