Websites offering medicinal treatment services for hay fever – June 2021
Published 27 August 2021
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1. SUMMARY REPORT FOR PUBLICATION
1.1 Websites offering medicinal treatment services for hay fever – June 2021
The following companies have amended their advertising for hay fever treatment services following MHRA action on complaints to ensure that a prescription-only medicine is not promoted to the public, and to ensure there is no promotion of off-label use of this medicine (Kenalog, triamcinolone):
Elements Medical
We informed the companies about the prohibition on promoting prescription-only medicines to the public. We further advised the companies that images of, or information about, prescription-only medicines that are not licensed to treat hay fever should not be promoted for this indication.
We reminded them that patients should be made aware of the risks of using a medicine off-label in place of licensed treatment alternatives as part of the consultation process. The NICE Clinical Knowledge Summary on allergic rhinitis 2015 states: “depot (slow release) corticosteroid injections: experts do not recommend these because their risk–benefit profile is poor compared with other treatments available”.
The list relates to specific advertising action taken on a particular date and is no endorsement of the ongoing practices of the website.
You can see details of MHRA guidance for providers that offer medicinal treatment services in Appendix 6 of the MHRA Blue Guide.