FDA says Novartis' epilepsy drug promo "misleading"

Swiss drug major Novartis has been told by the US Food and Drug Administration to stop using a magnet to promote its epilepsy drug Trileptal (oxcarbazepine). According to a report by the Associated Press, the front of the magnet features two claims with different benefits depending on the viewer's angle, but the FDA says that data regarding the drug's risks is printed on the back where no one sees it if the magnet is stuck to a surface. Trileptal has seen falling sales due to generic competition and Novartis says it stopped using the magnet in 2007 and no longer uses sales reps to promote the product, AP reports.