Advert - AbbVie – Case AUTH/3712/11/22

For the use of the imagery of a young female surfing that did not reflect the typical patient with moderate to severe psoriatic arthritis and could not be substantiated and for the use of imagery of a young female in relation to Rinvoq (upadacitinib), a product with a known risk of foetal harm without highlighting that there were restrictions on use in this population which had the potential to impact patient safety, AbbVie was ruled in breach of the following clauses of the 2021 Code:

Clause 2           - Bringing discredit upon, and reducing confidence in, the pharmaceutical industry

Clause 5.1        - Failing to maintain high standards

Clause 6.1        - Failing to ensure material was sufficiently complete and not misleading

Clause 6.2       - Making an unsubstantiated claim

Clause 6.3       - Failing to ensure artwork conformed to the letter and spirit of the Code