Advertisment
“What We Really Want For Valentine’s Day
Flowers
Chocolate
BOTOX”
Complaint
The complainant considered the post was promoting a pharmaceutical drug, which should not be promoted.
Response
The advertisers failed to provide a response to the complaint.
Conclusion
Complaint Upheld.
The Complaints Committee considered the detail of the complaint and the advertisers’ response. The Complaints Committee expressed concern at the advertisers’ failure to respond to the complaint. They reminded them that there is an onus on advertisers to ensure that their advertising is in conformity with the Code.
The Committee noted that the Code provided that prescription-only medicines may not be advertised to the public. As the Committee understood that Botox was prescription-only medicine, and in the absence of a response from Therapie Clinic the Committee concluded that the advertisement was in breach of Code sections 3.3, 3.10, and 11.16.
ACTION REQUIRED:
The advertisement must not appear in the current form. The Committee requested the ASAI to bring the matter to the attention of The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) and the social media platform in which the advertisement appeared.
