Pfizer, Inc. has been asked to discontinue or modify advertising claims related to its heartburn medication Zantac 150. The claims were brought to the attention of the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus Inc. by Johnson & Johnson, who has a competitive heartburn product on the market.
The claims focused on TV ads called “Impatient Guy,” which NAD said left the impression with consumers that Zantac 150 works almost immediately. The ads show humorous vignettes of a guy who tells viewers he is not a patient man. He gets impatient waiting in a “fast cash” line at an ATM and thinks that One Hour Photo is too slow. Toward the end of the ad he asks, “Heartburn, who has the time?” and holds up a package of Zantac 150. He then says, “I take new Maximum Strength Zantac. It’s so fast.”
In the NAD report, J&J said that the commercial’s message was that Zantac 150 both prevents and relieves heartburn within a matter of minutes and that published studies show that the active ingredient in Zantac would be expected to take about one hour to relieve heartburn symptoms. To support its claim, J&J conducted a mall survey of 200 consumers, showing the consumers the Pfizer TV spots and then asking questions. J&J said the results showed that 31% of respondents believed that Zantac can prevent heartburn if taken with 10 minutes of a meal among other findings. Pfizer said the survey questions were leading and gave J&J, which markets competitive product Pepcid Complete, its desired answers. NAD also said it was “troubled” by the same concerns Pfizer had about the survey.
NAD noted that the product does work “fast” but said that evidence in the record does not support the implied message that Zantac 150 works almost immediately. NAD recommended that the ads be discontinued or modified to more appropriately reflect the performance capabilities of the product.
Pfizer, in a statement to NAD, said that it believed that its advertising for the product was truthful and non-misleading. The advertisement, “merely states that Zantac works ‘fast’ and makes no mention of ‘immediate’ or ‘almost immediate’ relief…,” Pfizer said.
While Pfizer disagreed with NAD’s assessment it said that it would take NAD’s views into account in future advertising for Zantac, NAD said.
NAD reviews advertising for truthfulness and accuracy to help foster public confidence in the credibility of advertising.
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