AstraZeneca Gets Rare Warning Letter Over Breztri Sales Aid; Footnotes Don’t Balance Graphics

Warning letter is first issued by US FDA’s Office of Prescription Drug Promotion in more than a year and only the seventh since March 2020, continuing a trend away from using the enforcement tool. AstraZeneca asked to distribute corrective communications about pamphlet’s efficacy claims.

Breztri warning letter
OPDP breathes fire on multiple claims in AstraZeneca's sales aid for the COPD treatment Breztri. • Source: Nielsen Hobbs; the Pink Sheet | Images from Shutterstock, FDA

Footnotes and statements below graphics cannot absolve the problems raised by misleading claims in an promotional piece, the US Food and Drug Administration told AstraZeneca PLC in a rare warning letter.

The agency’s Office of Prescription Drug Promotion cited an AstraZeneca sales aid for its chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treatment Breztri...

Pink Sheet Podcast

Learn what's happening at the US FDA. On the go.

Derrick Gingery and the team bring you a weekly "Drug Fix".

More from Marketing & Advertising

India And Pakistan Boost Transparency In Industry-Doctor Interactions

 
• By 

Developments in India and Pakistan are designed to standardize how drug companies disclose their expenses associated with health care professionals.

Celebs Bring Extra Scrutiny To Advertisements, US FDA Tells AbbVie

 

AbbVie’s migraine ad overstates the drug’s benefit, a problem that is amplified by using a celebrity, the agency says. 

Misconstruing Single-Arm Study Data Lands BMS In Trouble With US FDA

 

The lung cancer drug Krazati from Bristol Myers Squibb’s Mirati Therapeutics drew an FDA ad/promo untitled letter, highlighting the agency's trend of pursuing false or misleading efficacy claims, particularly when data comes from outside approved labeling.

Severe Misconduct, Repeat Offending And Underreporting: UK/EU Codes Come Under Fire

 

The UK and EU pharma industry associations have defended their respective codes of practice despite alarming study results. Meanwhile, a consultation on proposals to revise the UK code received over 3,500 comments.

More from Compliance

HTA Regulation: EU Publishes Guidance On Validity Of Clinical Studies For Joint Clinical Assessments

 

Joint clinical assessment reports must be descriptive rather than reach definitive conclusions, and must not interfere with national decision making processes, according to new EU guidance.

India And Pakistan Boost Transparency In Industry-Doctor Interactions

 
• By 

Developments in India and Pakistan are designed to standardize how drug companies disclose their expenses associated with health care professionals.

Draft US FDA Innovative Manufacturing Strategy Takes On Global Inconsistency

 

The agency’s plan for advanced manufacturing seeks more harmonization, while also seeking to codify internal practices with guidance and training.