"Indirect" DTC of Rx drug claimed by UK's ASA

The UK's Advertising Standards Authority, which has the power to ban individual promotional campaigns, has declared that an Australian  clinic's London subsidiary offering treatment for male erectile  dysfunction was "indirectly advertising a prescription-only medicine," a  finding disputed by the Advanced Medical Institute, which plans to lodge  an appeal.

The ASA received 522 complaints against billboard posters that appear to  have been largely based on the presence of the word "sex" in the  advertisement text. The Authority noted that this number would likely  have been higher if it had not imposed a ban before conducting its  investigation of the AMI's message.

Michael Spira, the firm's European chief medical officer, claimed that,  "whilst the ASA has ruled that the advertisements promote  prescription-only medication by using the phrase 'nasal delivery  technology,' we believe that this ruling is not supported by the wording  of the ASA's code."