A Critical Analysis of Claims and Their Authenticity in Indian Drug Promotional Advertisements
Table 3
Examples of exaggerated claims in drug advertisements.
1
Perindopril plus amlodipine
Claim
Perindopril/amlodipine with stronger and superior BP reduction as compared to telmisartan/amlodipine and olmesartan/amlodipine
Analysis
The referenced study dealt with the efficacy of perindopril/amlodipine as antihypertensive agents only, with no comparison to other drug combinations [24, 25]
2
Moxifloxacin
Claim
Used in Multidrug Resistant TB
Analysis
Approved by FDA for nontubercular infections but it is under phase 3 trials for use in tuberculosis [26]
3
Vitamin D3
Claim
Increases Bone Mineral Density (BMD) by 25% within 2 years
Analysis
Referenced study affirmed increase in BMD on vitamin D3 therapy but not by 25% in 2 years [27]
4
Duloxetine
Claim
Offers advantage in terms of efficacy over SSRIs
Analysis
(i) No significant advantage has been seen in comparison to SSRIs [28, 29] (ii) SSRIs are the most commonly prescribed 1st line agents in treatment of anxiety and major depressive disorder due to their better safety and efficacy profile [28, 29] (iii) No reference was quoted in support
