The following are areas where particular care should be taken by companies:
• claims for superior potency in relation to weight are generally meaningless and best avoided unless they can be linked with some practical advantage, for example, reduction in adverse reactions or cost of effective dosage
• data derived from in vitro studies, studies in healthy volunteers and in animals must not be used in a way that misleads as to its significance. The extrapolation of such data to the clinical situation should only be made where there is data to show that it is of direct relevance and significance
• absolute risk and relative risk. Referring only to relative risk, especially with regard to risk reduction, can make a medicine appear more effective than it actually is. In order to assess the clinical impact of an outcome, the reader also needs to know the absolute risk involved. In that regard, relative risk should never be referred to without also referring to the absolute risk. Absolute risk can be referred to in isolation
• economic evaluation of medicines. Any claim involving the economic evaluation of a medicine must be borne out by the data available and not exaggerate its significance. To be acceptable as the basis of claims, the assumptions made in an economic evaluation must be clinically appropriate and consistent with the marketing authorisation
• emerging clinical or scientific opinions which have not been resolved in favour of one generally accepted viewpoint must be referred to in a balanced manner
• hanging comparisons whereby a medicine is described as being better or stronger or suchlike without stating that with which it is compared must not be made
• price comparisons as with any comparison, must be accurate, fair and must not mislead. Valid comparisons can only be made where like is compared with like. It follows, therefore, that a price comparison should be made on the basis of the equivalent dosage requirement for the same indications
• statistical information, claims and comparisons must have a sound statistical basis. Differences which do not reach statistical significance must not be presented in such a way as to mislead.
Instances have occurred where claims have been based on published papers in which the arithmetic and/or statistical methodology was incorrect. Accordingly, before statistical information is included in material, it must have been subjected to statistical appraisal.