Roche fined for breaching direct to consumer advertising ban and publishing unbalanced advertisements

doi:10.1136/bmj.39542.583669.DB

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Bob Burton

¹Hobart

Roche Products Australia has been fined a total of $A110 000 (£50 000; €64 000; $101 000) for breaching the drug industry’s self regulatory code of conduct by distributing three media releases that, despite a ban on direct to consumer drug advertising, promoted prescription drugs to the public.

The releases also promoted the use of approved drugs for unapproved indications and were unbalanced, omitting some of the risks associated with the drugs.

The complainant was the drug company GlaxoSmithKline Australia. It complained that Roche had published 21 media releases promoting the use of unapproved prescription drugs or approved drugs for unapproved indications. …