Why the FDA Admonished Kim Kardashian’s Social Media Endorsement of Morning Sickness Drug
(Photo: Instagram)
Kim Kardashian posts everything on social media — her exercise habits, meals, naked selfies, and more. So when she wrote on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about using a particular drug to battle morning sickness, fans didn’t think anything was out of the ordinary.
But the Food and Drug Administration did.
The FDA recently issued a warning to drug maker Duchesnay about Kardashian’s social media posts that promoted the morning sickness drug, Diclegis. According to the FDA, her posts violate federal drug-promotion rules.
“The Office of Prescription Drug Promotion (OPDP) of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reviewed the Kim Kardashian Social Media Post,” the letter begins.
“The social media post is false or misleading in that it presents efficacy claims for Diclegis, but fails to communicate any risk information associated with its use and it omits material facts.” The letter then links to the specific messages in question.
Among the posts was this one that appeared on Kardashian’s Instagram, which has since been removed:
“OMG. Have you heard about this? As you guys know my #morningsickness has been pretty bad, so I talked to my doctor. He prescribed me #Diclegis, I felt a lot better and most importantly, it’s been studied and there was no increased risk to the baby. I’m so excited and happy with the results that I’m partnering with Duchesnay USA to raise awareness about treating morning sickness. If you have morning sickness, be safe and sure to ask your doctor about the pill with the pregnant woman on it and find out more www.diclegis.com; www.DiclegisImportantSafetyInfo.com. “
(The FDA quoted it in its entirety in the warning.)
The Facebook post has also been removed. Only the following tweet, linking to Kardashian’s Instagram post, remains:
The FDA’s letter says Kardashian’s posts are concerning because they suggest that Diclegis is “safer than has been demonstrated.” The letter also notes that Duchesnay received a similar warning in 2013 after failing to include information on the risks of taking the drug in a letter to doctors.
Among the concerns are important limitations on the use of Diclegis which, the FDA notes, Kardashian failed to mention. Namely, the effects of the drug haven’t been studied in women with hyperemesis gravidarum, a rare complication of pregnancy that causes severe morning sickness (which Kate Middleton suffered from during her pregnancies).
It’s also not recommended for women sensitive to many drugs and its use can impact a woman’s mental alertness.
Granted, that’s a lot of information to jam into one social media post, but women’s health expert Jennifer Wider, MD, tells Yahoo Health that it’s important.
“All drugs have side effects,” she says, noting that people get prescriptions from a doctor because they can flag those side effects for patients in addition to determining if it’s the proper treatment for them.
Of course, side effects are also listed on the insert that comes with drug packaging, but “studies show that most people do not read inserts,” says Wider.
Celebrities hawking pharmaceuticals is nothing new: Brooke Shields and Christina Hendricks have promoted the eyelash-thickening drug Latisse, and Larry the Cable Guy appears in Prilosec OTC ads.
But Wider says those celebrity endorsements can be dangerous, especially if people don’t consult their doctor before trying them.
Her advice: If you’re interested in a drug after seeing a celebrity endorsement of it, ask your doctor before trying it. And, most importantly: “Never borrow someone else’s prescription.” Just because a friend or family member had no complications or issues after taking a drug doesn’t mean that you won’t as well.
The FDA has asked Duchesnay to remove the posts immediately and to outline a plan for preventing future violations by Aug. 21.
