German pharmaceutical giant Bayer has been fined after being found guilty of “scaring pregnant women” into buying their products, the Interfax news agency reported Wednesday.
Adverts run by the company to promote
their “Elevit Prenatal” vitamins suggested that unborn children
were at greater risk of developing congenital deformities if their
mothers did not take the supplements, Russia's Anti-Monopoly
Committee ruled.
The adverts, which were aired on
Russian television channel TNT, broke Russian law by suggesting that
consumers needed to buy certain drugs to maintain good health, the
court said in a statement.
The court will meet again at a later date to decide on the size of the company's fine, Interfax reported.
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