Tillotts: Octasa journal ad claim “Always once-daily” and imagery of a young person — no breach (AUTH/3313/2/20) | PMCPA Case

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Key facts

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Case	AUTH/3313/2/20
Company	Tillotts Pharma UK Limited
Product	Octasa 1600mg (modified release mesalazine)
Material	Journal advertisement (ref PU-00264) in January 2020 edition of Guidelines in Practice
Main claim challenged	“Always once-daily designed to aid adherence”
Key issues alleged	Dosing claim vs SPC options in acute disease; imagery potentially implying under-18 use/suitability for all ages
Applicable Code year	2019
Complaint received	20 February 2020
Case completed	7 January 2021
Appeal	No appeal
Decision	No breach (Clauses 2, 7.2, 7.4, 7.8, 9.1)
Company action noted	Advertisement withdrawn from use on 20 August 2020

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

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A UK health professional complained about a journal advertisement for Octasa 1600mg (modified release mesalazine) placed by Tillotts Pharma UK Limited (ref PU-00264) in the January 2020 edition of Guidelines in Practice.
The ad headline was “Big picture thinking” and showed an elderly man holding three photos of himself across life stages, including a smallest image that could be interpreted as a boy/young person.
The main claim challenged was: “Always once-daily designed to aid adherence”.
Allegation 1: The ad said “Always once a day” but the SPC allowed dosing in acute disease “once daily or in 2-3 divided doses”, so the claim was said to be inaccurate/misleading.
Allegation 2: The smallest image appeared to show someone under 18; the complainant said this implied suitability for all ages and lacked text to convey that safety/efficacy in under-18s had not been established for Octasa 1600mg.
Tillotts stated the ad was withdrawn from use on 20 August 2020.

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No breach of the Code was found.
The Panel ruled the “Always once daily” claim was capable of substantiation and not misleading in context (focus on maintenance dosing).
The Panel ruled the imagery did not promote Octasa 1600mg for children or imply suitability for all age groups.
Given no other breaches, the Panel also ruled no breach of Clause 2 (high standards).

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