FDA Warns 8 Calif. Surgical Centers on Lap-Band Ads
On Tuesday, FDA announced that it sent warning letters to eight surgical centers and the marketing firm 1-800-GET-THIN LLC in California about misleading advertising of Lap-Band, a device manufactured by Allergan to treat obesity. According to FDA, the surgical centers and the marketing firm used billboards and advertising inserts that did not provide the required risk information about using the Lap-Band, such as warnings, precautions and possible side effects. In addition, the agency said the font size used for risk information in the inserts was too small for consumers to read.
- "FDA Warns Centers for Misleading Lap-Band Ads" (Reuters, 12/13).