Regulatory News In Brief
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Medtronic pulls YouTube ad: In response to a Dec. 3 1citizen petition from consumer advocacy group the Prescription Project, Medtronic requested a video ad for its Prestige cervical disc, posted on YouTube and other Web sites by video production firm VNR-1 Communications, be removed from the Internet. The ad no longer appears on YouTube, Medtronic confirms in a Dec. 12 2letter to FDA, posted online Dec. 30. The Prescription Project said Medtronic, Stryker and Abbott advertised products online without legally mandated disclosures of potential risks and side effects (3"The Gray Sheet" Dec. 8, 2008, p. 7). Medtronic says it is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the posting by VNR, but does not plan to run any "curative ads," as they would "only add confusion to the matter.