Drug ad featuring Serena Williams is misleading, says FDA

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) recently sent a letter expressing its dissatisfaction with a TV commercial featuring tennis player Serena Williams, stating that it contains several claims that are misleading to the public.

FDA says Serena Williams drug ad is misleading https://t.co/Et62QCPxZW

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According to the FDA, the misleading ad depicts tennis champion Serena Williams suffering from a severe migraine attack and light sensitivity in her locker room.

Shortly afterwards, however, she is shown laughing and smiling. Then she appears enthusiastically, walking a blue path through the stage curtains and waving to the audience.

Meanwhile, a voiceover claims that the drug quickly eliminates migraine pain, while on-screen text states that Ubrelvy quickly relieves migraine pain.

The FDA argues that, although Ubrelvy offers a significant therapeutic benefit to migraine sufferers, the advertising gives a misleading impression of its actual efficacy.

The FDA highlights two major concerns in its explanations: the speed at which the migraine drug works and the implication in the advertising that migraine symptoms, (such as pain but also photophobia, phonophobia and nausea) will disappear completely after taking the drug.

The FDA stresses the importance of accuracy in drug advertising, claiming that Ubrelvy’s efficacy is exaggerated in the ad with Serena Williams.

According to the FDA, Ubrelvy reportedly takes around two hours to work, contrary to what is suggested in the ad, and around 78% to 81% of patients fail to achieve complete pain relief after a single dose, according to clinical studies.

Finally, in addition to misleading about the two-hour onset of action, the claim that “one dose eliminates migraine pain” is also misleading, as only around 19% to 22% of patients were pain-free two hours after taking one dose of Ubrelvy.