Telehealth Company Faces Flak for Super Bowl Ad

A telehealth company out of San Francisco is in hot water over a Super Bowl ad promoting a weight loss drug. This drug is not approved by the FDA because it's custom made by specialized pharmacies. Two U. S. senators and a pharmaceutical industry group are upset because they think the ad doesn't properly warn viewers about side effects. Sens. Dick Durbin and Roger Marshall sent a letter to the FDA. They think the ad is misleading. They said it's only 3 seconds long, and the font is too small to read. The senators claim the ad doesn't say that the drug lacks FDA approval. The senators also said they will introduce a law to make sure all drug ads have the same rules. They also think the FDA can act now to stop this kind of advertising. The ad uses Childish Gambino's song "This Is America" and talks about how obesity is bad and how big companies keep weight loss drugs expensive. The ad also talks about how the healthcare system is broken and drug companies are making it worse. The company, Hims & Hers, said they agree that compounding and telehealth are important for personalized care. They also said they are following the law and are happy to work with Congress and the FDA. They said they want to fix the healthcare system so that patients have choices. But this isn't the first time Hims & Hers has been in trouble. Last month, a doughnut shop owned by the company's CEO, Andrew Dudum, got a lot of bad reviews after it was revealed that Hims & Hers donated $1 million to Donald Trump's inauguration. The doughnut shop, George's Donuts & Merriment, is in San Francisco, a city where many people don't like Trump. The Partnership for Safe Medicines, a group of pharmaceutical nonprofits, also wrote to the FDA. They said the ad was misleading. They think the ad should follow the same rules as prescription drug ads. Some experts were surprised by the tone of the ad. They said the ad was critical of big drug companies. Some experts think that the ad might mislead people. As people are watching the ad, they might think that it is approved by the FDA. Hims & Hers defense the Trump donation. They said that they want to work with political leaders to make positive changes in the healthcare system.