The Australian consumer watchdog agency is taking Novartis (NVS) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to court for allegedly false or misleading marketing about a pair of gels used to treat pain.
The move is the latest by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to crack down on drug makers for making “misleading representations” about their products. Last year, the agency fined Reckitt Benckiser $4.5 million for deceptive practices in promoting a pain medication.
In the latest episode, the ACCC alleges the companies portrayed Voltaren Osteo Gel as specifically formulated for treating osteoarthritis conditions and as more effective than Voltaren Emulgel, even though the two products are identically formulated and contain the same active ingredient.
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If fading memory serves, Voltaren was ‘a hot new US product’ for CibaGeigy 30 years ago. A new meaning to ‘evergreening!’