Magnesium salicylate

Controversy

While magnesium salicylate is sold as an alternative for pain relief, it is still a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug and, like others in this class, can cause stomach ulcers, without any proven superiority to other over-the-counter pain relievers.

Novartis, the company that produces Doan's Pills, In March 1998, the court ruled in favor of the FTC, but there was no stipulation about how the company should or would have to amend its advertising and packaging. Thus, Doan's was able to continue marketing as a "superior treatment for back pain". In May 1999, the FTC released a statement summarizing the proceedings and announced the commission's decision after a 4–0 vote imposing a penalty on Doan's and its marketer, Novartis, to "run ads to correct misbeliefs resulting from their unsubstantiated claim that Doan's Pills are superior to other over-the-counter analgesics for treating back pain" and to modify packaging to include the statement "Although Doan's is an effective pain reliever, there is no evidence that Doan's is more effective than other pain relievers for back pain." The ads were required to run for a period of one year.

References

References

1. (June 2013). "Pain Control: Using Nonprescription Analgesics". OTC Guide.
2. "Magnesium Salicylate Tablet - Uses, Side Effects, and More". WebMD LLC.
3. "Magnesium Salicylate tablets". [[Cleveland Clinic]].
4. (June 27, 1996). "Doan's boasts too big to swallow, FTC says". Tampa Bay Times.
5. (May 27, 1999). "Doan's Pills Must Run Corrective Advertising: FTC Ads Claiming Doan's Is Superior In Treating Back Pain Were Unsubstantiated". Federal Trade Commission.