In a warning letter to Dr. Leslie Baumann of the Baumann Cosmetic and Research Institute in (where else?) Miami Beach, Fla., the FDA chided her for promoting Medicis (MRX)’s Dysport wrinkle-killer before it was approved for sale. Baumann talked up the competitor to Allergan (AGN)’s Botox in Allure, Elle and on NBC’s Today Show, the FDA said.
The warning — which targeted Baumann and not Medicis — comes as a warning shot across the bows of cosmetic dermatologists everywhere. Derms are often a publicity hungry bunch who get patients through media pr and advertising. They’re easy “gets” for women’s magazines and shows. Baumann (pictured), for instance, has a Yahoo Health blog and writes a column for the Miami Herald.
The FDA seems to be saying, If you’re a vanity/cosmetic doc with an official relationship with a drug company, watch what you say: misbranded drug law applies to you, too.