Pfizer & Boehringer Ingelheim: Spiriva journal ad claim “Help them live life, not a COPD life” (AUTH/1948/1/07, AUTH/1949/1/07)

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Key facts

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Case numbers	AUTH/1948/1/07 and AUTH/1949/1/07
Parties	General Practitioner v Pfizer Limited and Boehringer Ingelheim Limited
Product	Spiriva (tiotropium)
Material	Journal advertisement (ref SPI/SPV 1445)
Claim at issue	“Help them live life, not a COPD life”
Complaint theme	Alleged implied cure / misleading exaggeration in chronic incurable disease
Clauses considered	7.2, 7.4, 7.10
Decision	No breach
Complaint received	24 January 2007
Case completed	12 March 2007
Applicable Code year	2006
Appeal	No appeal
Publication	May 2007 Code of Practice Review

Reviewed by Dr Anzal Qurbain (FFPM) — ABPI Final Signatory

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A general practitioner complained about a journal advertisement for Spiriva (tiotropium), co-promoted by Pfizer Limited and Boehringer Ingelheim Limited (ad ref SPI/SPV 1445).
The ad headline claim was: “Help them live life, not a COPD [Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease] life”.
The complainant argued COPD is chronic, progressive and incurable, and that the unqualified wording “... not a COPD life” suggested Spiriva was curative or would remove ongoing symptoms—therefore misleading and exaggerated.
The PMCPA asked the companies to respond in relation to Clauses 7.2, 7.4 and 7.10 of the Code.
The companies submitted identical responses, stating the claim referred to improving patient-centred outcomes (breathlessness, exercise tolerance, quality of life) and was not intended to mean life without COPD; references were cited in the ad.

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