Bayer made to tone down aspirin advertisements

The pharmaceutical giant, Bayer, has agreed to mute its advertisements, which propagate the idea that daily use of aspirin is beneficial for all adults.

The agreement comes after the US Federal Trade Commission and the US Department of Justice charged that Bayer's aggressive aspirin marketing campaigns are misleading and may lead to medical complications in uneducated consumers.

In particular, officials were concerned that Bayer made unsubstantiated claims that regular intake of aspirin could prevent myocardial infarcts and ischaemic stroke in healthy adults.

While there is substantial and incontrovertible evidence …