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Is the End Near for the Pharmaceutical Search Marketing Industry?

The FDA Warns Over 14 Companies Regarding Search Marketing Ads

The FDA recently warned over 14 pharmaceutical companies about their marketing efforts of more than 40 drugs. Ten of the fourteen companies that received the FDA warning letters are classified as major drug producers. According to the FDA warning letters issued by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, (CDER), the companies are distributing Pay Per Click (P.P.C.) or paid search advertising for their drugs which do not comply with the FDA’s pharmaceutical marketing guidelines.

The FDA warnings below are taken from the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, (CDER).

  • Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
  • Biogen Idec
  • Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
  • Cephalon, Inc.
  • Eli Lilly and Co.
  • Forest Laboratories, Inc.
  • Genentech, Inc.
  • GlaxoSmithKline
  • Hoffman-LaRoche, Inc.
  • Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Services
  • Merck & Co., Inc
  • Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.
  • Pfizer, Inc.
  • Sanofi Aventis, U.S.

An FDA spokesperson commented that the FDA said that they found, "A plethora of violations across all classes of drugs ..." and continued to state that it’s the FDA’s position to monitor and enforce policy throughout all forms of media. The FDA warnings focus on violations for occluding the following three requirements:

  • Information regarding the drugs possible side effects
  • Statement of the drug’s fully qualified name
  • Contraindications and demographic limitations

Google spokesperson Eric Obenzinger stated, "Google, is not going to get involved ... The FDA letters are directed at pharmaceutical search advertisers ... Obviously, these warning letters will change the format of the sponsored links that people see next to organic search results."

Currently the FDA does not have specific guidelines for the online marketing industry. The FDA mentioned that they found the inappropriate search ads "through our routine monitoring of promotion done on the internet ... " This type of response may be a call to action to the FDA in the form of requiring policy and regulations to be for announced for the pharmaceutical marketing industry.