Posted on 04/15/2005 7:59:03 PM PDT by foolscap
WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal regulators have told the makers of the popular drugs Levitra and Zyrtec to pull some advertisements the regulators said made unsubstantiated claims. The Food and Drug Administration said Friday it sent letters this week notifying Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corp. and Pfizer Inc. that a television commercial for Levitra and three direct-mail advertisements for Zyrtec made unsubstantiated claims of superiority over competing products.
In Levitra's case, Bayer also failed to disclose FDA warnings and product information, the letter said. It was the fourth such warning for Pfizer about Zyrtec.
The commercial for Levitra, an erectile dysfunction drug, features a woman praising the drug, and, according to the FDA, implying that her sexual experience with her partner was satisfying as a result of her partner's use of Levitra. She says the drug is "the best way to experience the difference." The FDA said this is an unprovable claim.
The commercial also fails to highlight side effects and FDA warnings, the agency said.
Matthew Scampoli, a spokesman for Schering Corp., which markets Levitra for Bayer, said the 15-second commercial is one in a three-commercial campaign. He said the remaining commercials would remain on the air but said, "We are going to comply with the FDA's request," to pull the 15-second spot.
"We're currently reviewing all our Levitra promotional material to address the issues raised by the agency," he added.
The ads for Zyrtec compare two people; one obviously sick, sneezing or wiping her nose, and another who looks perfectly healthy. The captions of the ads imply that the healthy and alert-looking person has taken Zyrtec; the sickly and unhappy one has taken a different medication.
The FDA said it "is not aware of substantial evidence or substantial clinical experience demonstrating that Zyrtec is clinically superior" to any other available over-the-counter or prescription allergy medicine.
An attempt to reach Pfizer by telephone after business hours on Friday was unsuccessful.
The FDA requested that both companies cease the ad campaigns and respond in writing to the request. It also said that since this was the fourth warning about the same problem for Pfizer, that Pfizer include in its response an outline of how it plans to make "truthful, non-misleading and complete" corrections to its ads
Okay, okay. But the possibility of getting a 4 hour erection is true, right?
Okay, okay. But the possibility of getting a 4 hour erection is true, right?
Yes, they tell you to call your doctor if it lasts longer than 4 hours.
What good would that do? I couldn't get an appointment for 3 weeks.
LOL trust me, as I woman I wouldn't complain.
The Levitra advertisement says if your erection lasts longer than four hours, go to a hospital. What for - to have your picture taken?
Exactly. I mean, why go see a doctor? So he can prescribe something to counteract it? Doesn't that defeat the purpose for taking it in the first place?
Well, lets put it this way, blood would only be flowing one way and what good is it if your passed out and can't enjoy it.
Neither would my wife. For once she wouldn't give a damn that I fell asleep afterwards.
Talk about a win-win situation.
ROFLAMO!!!!!!!!!!!!
How ironic. My reply to your post #6 also applies to your post #10.
Well, if you still need to see the doc after three fun-filled weeks, he wouldn't have to just take your word for it, would he?
What now? Phase IV randomized trials comprised of women "experiencing" men on Levitra versus men without Levitra (the placebo?).
Not a bad idea :)
Wow. 3 weeks. Just how much does a Guiness World Record pay these days?
I can't tell you how hard (bad choice of words) and loud I'm laughing right now.
Turns out, all my relationships have just been placebos.
In all seriousness (well, as serious as we're going to be able to get on this thread), a 4-hour erection is a sign of priapism, which is nothing to joke about. If you don't get medical treatment for it within a few hours, you could end up never having another erection again.
(To get technical, the blood get stuck in there, loses its oxygen, and you end up with the same problems you'd have with any other body part that had its circulation cut off.)
Supposedly it also hurts like hell, too, so you'd probably be hightailing it to the ER regardless. ;)
Same as a mohel. Minimum wage, plus tips.
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