Advertisment
The following information was provided under the heading “Anti-wrinkle injections” on the homepage of the website:
“Facial Aesthetics
1. Botox …”
“What are Anti-Wrinkle Injections?
• Anti-wrinkle injections use Botulinum toxin.
• Botox works by relaxing underlying muscles…
• Botulinum toxin can be used to change the…
• Botox is used mainly to treat…
• We tend to use Botox on the…
• Botox will give…”
Complaint
The advertising content came to the attention of the ASA via its monitoring programme.
The ASA Executive challenged whether the references to ‘Botox’ and ‘Botulinum toxin’ were compliant with the Code requirement that prescription only medicines may not be advertised to the public.
Response
The advertisers failed to provide a response.
Conclusion
Complaint upheld.
The Council expressed concern at the advertisers’ failure to respond to the ASA’s correspondence. They reminded them that there is an onus on advertisers to ensure that their advertising is in conformity with the Code.
The Council noted the advertisement had promoted a treatment using a prescription only medicine (‘Botox and Botulinum Toxin’), and that the Code required that “Prescription-only medicines may not be advertised to the public”.
In view of the fact that a prescription only medicine was advertised, and in the absence of a response from the advertisers, the Council concluded that the advertisement was in breach of Code Sections 3.10 and 11.16.
Action Required:
The advertisement should not be published in the same format again.
The Council reminded the advertisers that the adjudication applied to all media.
