Dive Brief:
- RAPS' Alec Gaffney notes that the FDA has issued six warning letters to six different companies for posting unapproved claims on their Facebook pages in the last six months.
- The unapproved claims occurred not only as part of posting, but also in the "About" section.
- February 2015 was the highest level of Facebook regulatory oversight (in the form of warning letters) ever.
Dive Insight:
Last summer, the FDA released draft guidance on social media policy, opening the door for pharma companies to use social media channels more effectively, while also signaling that greater regulatory oversight would be forthcoming. Not only has the FDA been policing Facebook, but also looking at tweets from pharma companies as well. As Thomas Abrams, director of the FDA Office of Prescription Drug Promotion, has noted, the FDA's social media policy is evolving.
According to a blog post from Abrams last summer, "FDA sees social media as an important resource for industry and is committed to developing additional guidance for drug and device manufacturers that outline the agency’s current thinking," he wrote. "We do all of this work with the best interest of patients in mind."