FDA targets ADHD drug makers using video-sharing Web sites to appeal to patients

NEW YORK The Food and Drug Administration is targeting companies that place advertisements on video-sharing Web sites such as YouTube.

Last week, it sent warning letters to Shire, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Mallinckrodt and Eli Lilly. The FDA said in its letter to Shire that an ad on YouTube for the attention deficit disorder drug Adderall XR overstated the drug’s efficacy. The agency has ordered Shire to remove the ad.

“The video cites no references in support of these claims, and we are not aware of substantial evidence to support them,” the FDA’s letter to Shire read.