News Tagged ‘New York

Columnist: 50th anniversary of The Pill nothing to celebrate

50th birthday cake 100x100 Columnist: 50th anniversary of The Pill nothing to celebrateHolly Grigg-Spall, columnist for the UK’s The Independent, says the revolutionary birth control pill had nothing to do with turning her into a women’s health writer and activist. In fact, it gave her something to complain about.

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FDA cracks down on deceptive advertising of drugs

yazad 100x100 FDA cracks down on deceptive advertising of drugsIn early 2009, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals launched a $20 million advertising campaign for its blockbuster birth control pill, Yaz. The ads carried the same message: “You may have seen some Yaz commercials recently that were not clear. The FDA wants us to correct a few points in those ads.”

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Bayer tests Google’s new ad format for Yaz promotion

yazad 100x100 Bayer tests Googles new ad format for Yaz promotionA new ad format developed by Google for prescription drugs attaches a fixed link to sponsored results. When clicked, the link takes the browser to a page announcing  the drug’s side effects, risks, and other important information, much the same way as it is printed on the drug label or inside the product’s packaging. Bayer was the first company to sign up for the new format, which it now uses for its beleaguered birth control pill Yaz.

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Comedian lampoons the absurdity of drug ads

SH YazWriter-comedian Sarah Haskins has produced another segment of her popular satire on Current TV’s Target: Women, this time calling out the absurdity of television advertising in marketing drugs to women.

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Switzerland investigates the death of young Yaz user

yaz3 100x100 Switzerland investigates the death of young Yaz userA Swiss health agency is investigating the death of a young woman in Switzerland who died while taking Bayer AG’s birth control pill Yaz. Bloomberg reported that Swissmedic (Switzerland’s drug therapy regulatory agency) and an investigative judge are probing the sudden death of the woman, whose autopsy revealed she died from the effects of a pulmonary embolism.

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Yaz health risks: better safe than sorry?

yaz consultBayer Healthcare’s blockbuster drug Yaz has come under fire in recent years for its potential to cause a spectrum of health problems. Bayer has downplayed these serious risks while drawing attention to some of the drug’s other uses as treatments for acne and the emotional and physical symptoms associated with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Adding to the confusion is a series of clinical tests designed to quantify the drug’s safety risks. Results of the studies have both supported cast doubt on the claims of women who say they have been harmed by Yaz. With your health and possibly your life at stake, who do you trust?

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Yaz testing and marketing raises ethical red flag

Yaz 100x100 Yaz testing and marketing raises ethical red flagA new report in the New York Times about Bayer Healthcare’s bestselling oral contraceptive Yaz brings to light some serious ethical questions surrounding the company’s testing and marketing of what some studies suggest is a potentially dangerous drug for many women.

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Bayer creates new ad campaign for Yaz after FDA crackdown

yaz tv commercial 100x100 Bayer creates new ad campaign for Yaz after FDA crackdownIn October 2008, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) sent a letter of warning to Bayer Healthcare, Inc., citing the drug manufacturer for misrepresentations in television commercials for Yaz, an oral contraceptive. The ads featured the usual women’s health metaphors showing happy ladies frolicking in a field releasing balloons and such.  But according to the FDA, the real problem with the ads included overstating the drug’s effectiveness, overselling its benefits, and not adequately communicating its possible serious side effects, including cardiac arrest and gallbladder disease.

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