Keeping Up With the Kardashians – OPDP Edition

I would be lying if I said I hadn’t expected this most recent OPDP Untitled letter.  OK, maybe not THIS letter.  Some background: Back in November 2020, after an article was published about the ethical questions surrounding “Sponcon,” (sponsored content – for those not hip to the lingo), I pulled up Khloe Kardashian’s Twitter feed to check out her recent ad for Nurtec ODT.  I stared at the ad, and then spent an embarrassingly long amount of time debating with myself as to whether placing scrolling ISI right below Khloe Kardashian’s bust made it more OR less likely to be noticed.  I passed my phone to my husband and asked him to tell me about the Nurtec ODT safety information.  Eyes glazed, he responded, “there’s safety information?”  I had my answer.

This most recent OPDP letter (the first Untitled Letter of 2021), objects to a sponsored video – and is similar to OPDP’s last Warning Letter to CooperSurgical.  Parallels between the two letters include the offending material being a sponsored video (not otherwise re-distributed by the company on different platforms), no Form 2253 submission, and complaints lodged through FDA’s Bad Ad program.

This letter is significant for a number of reasons (not the least of which is that I now can’t simply refer to the “Kardashian Letter” as it may create confusion about which letter I’m referencing).  What’s fascinating (to me) is that OPDP includes in second place its allegations that risks were minimized in the video, prioritizing the offending efficacy claims.  And what are those efficacy claims?  The first of which is that Nurtec ODT “works in about 15-30 minutes.”   The second is that Nurtec ODT was a “gamechanger” and “other medications would give me rebound headaches, and this one doesn’t . . .”

In 2012, an Untitled Letter based on these claims would be expected.  But in 2021, given the significant drop in OPDP enforcement letters and post publication of FDA’s Guidance on Medical Communications Consistent with the FDA-Required Labeling (Guidance), are these the type of claims to trigger an OPDP Untitled Letter?  The claims, themselves, seem awfully similar to specific examples FDA includes in its Guidance, which permits product communications consistent with the FDA-required labeling even if those communications are not based on substantial evidence.  From the FDA Guidance:

Q.4.        What are examples of the kinds of information that could be consistent with the FDA-required labeling for a product?

A.4.        The following are examples of some general types of information that could be consistent with the FDA-required labeling. . . Information based on a comparison of the safety or efficacy of a medical product for its approved indication to another medical product approved for the same indication . . . Information about the onset of action of the product for its approved indication and dosing/use regimen (e.g., the FDA-required labeling for a product approved to treat major depressive disorder does not contain information about onset of action before the point in time designated as the study’s endpoint, and a firm’s product communication provides information indicating that the product shows an effect relative to the control at 2 weeks).

So what happened here?  What happened seems to be the absence of any evidence to support Ms. Kardashian’s claims other than her personal experience.  Consistency with the FDA-required labeling is not the only factor to consider when determining whether a communication is truthful and non-misleading.   Claims must still be supported by evidence that is scientifically appropriate and statistically sound.  “The amount and type of evidence needed to support a particular CFL promotional communication depends in part on the topic addressed by the communication. For example, different evidence would be needed to support a long-term efficacy presentation than would be needed to support a presentation about a product’s mechanism of action. The amount and type of evidence needed also depends on the particular representations or suggestions that are made about any given topic in the communication.”  Guidance at 12.  Therefore, despite these claims representing a truthful experience for Ms. Kardashian, the letter points out that they are misleading because OPDP is unaware of any data that supports these statements, generally.

OPDP further cites the video as misleading “because it fails to present information relating to the contraindications, warnings, precautions, and adverse reactions for Nurtec ODT with a prominence and readability reasonably comparable with the presentation of information relating to the benefits of Nurtec ODT. Specifically, the video contains claims and/or representations about the benefits of Nurtec ODT in the audio portion, while the risk information is presented in text only format and in small font. Moreover, the risk information only appears briefly for four seconds at the end of the video, after the close of the Spokesperson’s presentation, where it is unlikely to draw the viewer’s attention.”   OPDP’s views as expressed in this letter are not new; 21 C.F.R. §202.1(e)(1) provides that advertisements broadcast through media such as radio or television include information relating to the major side effects in the audio or audio and visual parts of the presentation.  It is not sufficient to have safety information presented solely on screen when efficacy is provided through audio.   Content and format considerations with regard to presenting risk information in broadcast promotional material has been an issue reiterated in FDA’s (Draft) Guidance on Presenting Risk Information and has also been the subject of OPDP research.

Circling back to initial perceptions about the similarities between this Untitled Letter and the recent CooperSurgical  Warning Letter, it’s notable that both relate to TV broadcast videos that were “sponsored” by the company, not re-distributed on other platforms, and not submitted to FDA on Form 2253.  With the increasing number of television shows that allow third parties to sponsor content, industry should be particularly cautious when availing itself of these opportunities.  Depending on the context, interviews with your spokespeople and sponsored TV/News segments about your products may subject you to liability even if you are not in complete control over the content and do not otherwise re-distribute it.