FDA has repeatedly stated over the past year that more enforcement activity in the promotional arena is likely. It appears that time has arrived. Half of FDA’s Division for Drug Marketing, Advertising, and Communications’ (“DDMAC”) citations for misleading advertisements in 2008 were sent in September and October. The citations address typical misbranding issues such as failing to adequately disclose risks, overstating efficacy, broadening indications, and asserting unsubstantiated superiority claims. Whether these citations are the result of DDMAC’s increased budget and new hires, or a continued interest by Congress and the Department of Justice over drug industry promotional issues, one thing appears clear: a new era of increased scrutiny is likely here.
A particularly interesting position that DDMAC has taken in a few of the September and October letters concerns descriptions of disorders and the consequences of failing to obtain treatment. For example, in five letters targeting drugs indicated to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (“ADHD”), DDMAC cites marketing materials that list the difficulties and consequences of untreated ADHD (e.g., poor social-emotional development and job success, inability to complete schooling, illegal behaviors, contraction of sexually transmitted diseases, motor vehicle accidents, and physical injury). In each letter, DDMAC takes the position that listing such difficulties and consequences in association with an ADHD drug constitutes an implied claim that the drug will have a positive impact on these issues. If deemed an implied claim, DDMAC requires studies with endpoints that support each claim.
This is similar to DDMAC’s position on quality-of-life (“QOL”) claims, with health-related QOL claims requiring substantial supporting evidence in the form of adequate and well-controlled studies designed to specifically assess these outcomes.
While the need to have adequate studies to support claims is nothing new, drug manufacturers should remain cognizant of everything listed in marketing materials, including statements concerning the difficulties and consequences of untreated disorders, diseases, or conditions. Drug manufacturers wishing to include such statements must ensure that all implied claims arising from these general statements are supported by substantial evidence (i.e., adequate and well-controlled studies with endpoints targeting each implied claim/impact). Stated otherwise, drug manufacturers must design specific study endpoints to support a disease state description, or must carefully tailor disease state descriptions to pre-existing specific study endpoints.
The Oct. 13, 2008, Pink Sheet provides further detail about DDMAC’s increased activity. DDMAC’s 2008 warning letters can be accessed at fda.gov.
