MASSDEVICE ON CALL — EpiPen providers Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and Mylan Specialty agreed to a $625,000 settlement to close the books on charges that they misled consumers about the efficacy of the emergency allergy medication dispenser.
The companies in April aired a television commercial, and ran a parallel print ad, that showed a mother and her son discussing the EpiPen system on the way to a birthday party.
The mother consoles her son by telling him that they’ll have a good time at the party, "even with your peanut allergy and a cake made of who-knows-what."
"Because we’re prepared, right Jake? With EpiPen," she says.
The companies pulled the ad after parents and allergy advocacy groups raised a ruckus, getting the attention of the FDA, which issued a warning letter on the product.
The FDA called the ad "false and misleading," warning that consumers may mistakenly think that the EpiPen may constitute all the medical help necessary to avert an emergency allergy situation.
"While EpiPen is an important medication that can provide emergency assistance for severe allergic reactions, these advertisements put consumers at risk by giving an overall misleading impression that the product alone removes the need to take precautionary measures," Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley said in prepared remarks.
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