Exaggerated advertising: criminal complaint against Novartis
In addition to criminal charges in the U.S., Novartis is also facing trouble in Japan. The Japanese Ministry of Health announced on Thursday that, following months of investigations, criminal charges had been filed against Novartis.
The company is accused of over-promoting the antihypertensive drug Diovan. Clinical studies conducted by two Japanese hospitals were cited in the advertising. These contained manipulated data. The Ministry of Health said Novartis was suspected of using the advertisement even after the company was already aware that the data had been manipulated.
Novartis denies knowledge of the manipulations and maintains that studies have confirmed the safety and efficacy of the drug. Several Japanese hospitals had stopped prescribing the drug. Novartis' Japanese subsidiary, Novartis Pharma K.K., published an apology on its website in which it apologized for "annoyance and
Concerns" in connection with the advertising asks for forgiveness. The company is taking the matter very seriously and is cooperating with authorities, it said. Diovan, also known as valsartan, is a major revenue generator for Novartis and is sold worldwide. About a quarter of revenue from the drug most recently came from Japan. (SDA)
