Eli Lilly (LLY) was rebuked by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for running a misleading Instagram post that omitted risk information about its best-selling Trulicity diabetes medicine, marking the second time in as many months the regulator scolded the company for failing to follow advertising rules.
In the latest transgression, the FDA noted the Instagram post made an incorrect claim that the drug could lower blood sugar levels and displayed key information about risks and appropriate use in small, fast-moving type on the screen. Yet the benefits of the diabetes drug were prominently featured in “colorful, compelling, and attention-grabbing fast-paced visuals.”
“These violations are especially concerning from a public health perspective, because the promotional communication creates a misleading impression regarding the safety and effectiveness of Trulicity, which is a drug with multiple serious, potentially life-threatening risks, including a boxed warning for the risk of thyroid C-cell tumors,” according to a Jan. 19 letter FDA wrote to Lilly.
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