Case study 2

An anonymous ‘concerned UK health professional’ complained that the inverted triangle symbol throughout Napp Pharmaceutical’s website was the incorrect colour and might confuse health professionals. The complainant provided a link to a page on the website in question on which the inverted triangles next to the brand name of two medicines were dark grey, not black.

The detailed response from Napp is given below.

The Panel considered the complaint in relation to health professionals and material directed at them.

The Panel noted that the Code required the inverted black triangle symbol to be included on material which related to a medicine which was subject to additional monitoring and which was intended for a patient taking that medicine. The Panel considered that the complainant had not established that the product webpage directed at health professionals was promotional and thus no breach of the Code was ruled in relation to the requirement for inverted black triangles on promotional material.

In the Panel’s view, the inverted black triangle was a well-known and established symbol. Its appropriate use was an important part of medicines regulation. Thus, in the Panel’s view, failure to publish the triangle in the correct colour was, at the very least, inappropriate and might potentially cause confusion. This was a serious matter.

The Panel considered that high standards had not been maintained and ruled a breach of the Code.

Read the full Case Study 2 here