Cease, desist order on drug company’s ads

The Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a summons with cease and desist order to pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Pasteur Inc. for airing television and radio advertisements of its dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia.

In a statement, the FDA said the airing of the advertisement was in violation of Administrative Order No. 65 s. 1989, prohibiting advertisement in any form of prescription or ethical drug.

It said that the FDA Center for Drug Regulation and Research (CDRR) had monitored the airing of the advertising materials on dengue vaccination. It has also reported the unauthorized promotion of dengue vaccine in the malls.

In the summons issued by the FDA on Dec. 13, 2016, Sanofi was directed to cease and desist from disseminating advertisements for Dengvaxia in any form of mass or social media. Sanofi was also directed to stop activities promoting and marketing the vaccine.  However, as of Dec. 15, 2016, the FDA said the company had failed to comply with the FDA directive to take down the advertisements.

“Since Sanofi has not complied, we have issued summons directing them to cease and desist from airing the advertisements and show cause why they should not be penalized for violating the law,” FDA Director General Nela Charade G. Puno said in the statement.

Puno said that to ensure immediate compliance, “the FDA had sent letters to TV and radio stations directing them not to air the said unauthorized ads.”