US regulators issued a flurry of letters calling out pharmaceutical companies for allegedly misleading ads, part of a promised Trump administration crackdown on the industry’s ubiquitous TV spots, and warned Eli Lilly & Co. and Novo Nordisk A/S about their blockbuster obesity drug marketing.
Most of the letters, sent to companies including AstraZeneca Plc, Bristol Myers Squibb Co. and AbbVie Inc., detail concerns with their online, broadcast and print marketing, ranging from hiring actors who appear too healthy to omitting key safety risks. Among the offending ads are BridgeBio Pharma Inc.’s commercial for its heart drug that stars Morgan Freeman and Phathom Pharmaceuticals Inc. spots featuring Saturday Night Live’s Kenan Thompson promoting the company’s treatment for heartburn.