Excedrin for “first-line” treatment
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Novartis is promoting Excedrin Migraine as "evidence-based medicine for the first-line treatment of migraine," according to a new print ad published in the May 24 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association. As part of the firm's "First Line at the First Sign" advertising push, the ad includes statements such as, "clinically proven to provide early and powerful relief" and "statistically significant pain reduction seen as early as 30 minutes." The ad shows a bottle of Excedrin Migraine bursting through a doctor's prescription pad and states, "Powerful migraine efficacy with OTC convenience and safety." The UK's health body recently approved behind-the-counter sale of GlaxoSmithKline's Imigran Recovery (sumatriptan 50 mg) for migraine (1"The Tan Sheet" May 22, 2006, p. 3)...