The supervisors made this decision following a hearing about the recent ad campaign from California marketing firm 1-800-GET-THIN for Lap-Band surgery. The FDA issued warning letters in mid-December to eight surgical centers and the marketing firm, asking them to remove misleading advertisements for the Lap-Band device.
The FDA objected to the advertising because it does not mention the serious side effects and possible complications of the procedure. By federal law, advertisements for medical procedures and implants are required to contain relevant warnings and information about precautions, side effects and the medical reasons that make a treatment inappropriate.
The letters also requested that the advertisements, which are on billboards, on bus placards and in newspaper advertisements, be removed.
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The FDA gave 1-800-GET-THIN and the surgery centers until early January to present a plan that would address the FDA’s concerns and bring the advertisements into compliance.
In addition to pushing for state oversight of the surgery centers, the supervisors also asked county lawyers to determine whether they could legally restrict billboard advertising.
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