Pfizer asked to remove Zyvox advertising in the UK

New York-based Pfizer has been asked by the UK medicine control agency to withdraw an advertisement for is antibiotic Zyvox (linezolid), which was deemed potentially misleading.

According to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the ad placed in the British Medical Journal claimed the serious infection treatment has superior cure rates compared to products containing vancomycin.

The US firm has now suspended the campaign – at the time of publishing it had expressed concerns to the MHRA about the efficacy and safety of Zyvox compared to vancomycin when used to treat patients with catheter infections.

Dr June Raine, director of vigilance and risk management of medicines at the agency, said: “Advertising is an important means of communication and for medicines it can provide useful information to the public and healthcare professionals about available treatments and their potential benefits.”

She highlighted the need for companies to take a “responsible approach to safety in their advertising”, after a full assessment of the risks and benefits of their products.

Linezolid is a synthetic antibiotic of the oxazolidinone class and is used to treat infections which are caused by multi-resistant bacteria.