27 May 2007

Bonviva goes Osdura?

Just a little entertainment on my part: Roche Netherlands, the pharmaceutical company producing Bonviva, has received an email from me regarding my dismay about the name. I have requested them to get back to me on that matter.
Whilst googling for their address I discovered that Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals Nederland BV and Aventis Pharma BV with the collective name: “de Alliance”, have sued Roche for their misleading advertisements concerning this particular product. (Dutch speakers can consult the link). They won the lawsuit as Roche was not allowed to claim that the Bonviva "Builds bones". To spice things up a little more I have forwarded my complaint to "de Alliance".
According to the Gedragscode Geneesmiddelenreclame, the Dutch code of conduct concerning advertising medicines, it seems I too have a case as the name is misleading. Let's see what their response is.
Watch this space for more!

1 comment:

Aisha said...

Hoi Aisha,

Ik moest na onderstaande tekst meteen aan jouw blog over de naam van dat medicijn denken.

Liefs, Merel
__________________________________
This is an actual letter sent to the brand manager of Proctor and Gamble...AN OPEN LETTER TO MR. JAMES THATCHER, BRAND MANAGER, PROCTER & GAMBLE. - - - -

Dear Mr. Thatcher,

I have been a loyal user of your Always maxi pads for over 20 years, and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the LeakGuard Core or Dri-Weave absorbency, I'd probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I'd certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts. But my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi-pads be aerodynamic. I can't tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there's a little F-16 in my pants.

Have you ever had a menstrual period, Mr. Thatcher? Ever suffered from "the curse"? I'm guessing you haven't. Well, my "time of the month" is starting right now. As I type, I can already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my body. Just a few minutes from now, my body will adjust and I'll be transformed into what my husband likes to call "an inbred hillbilly with knife skills." Isn't the human body amazing? As brand manager in the feminine- hygiene division, you've no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customers 'monthly visits from Aunt Flo. Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying jags, and out-of-control behavior. You surely realize it's a tough time for most women. In fact, only last week, my friend Jennifer fought the violent urge to shove her boyfriend's balls into a George Foreman Grill just because he told her he thought Grey's Anatomy was written by drunken chimps. Crazy! The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just crawling with homicidal maniacs in capri pants.

Which brings me to the reason for my letter. Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always maxi pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words: "Have a Happy Period." Are you f---ing kidding me? What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness - actual smiling, laughing happiness - is possible during a menstrual period? Did anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James?

FYI, unless you're some kind of sick freak girl, there will never be anything "happy" about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Nurofen and Kalms and lock yourself in your house just so you don't march down to the local Asda armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life in a blaze of glory. For the love of God, pull your head out, man. If you just have to slap a moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn't it make more sense to say something that's actually pertinent, like "Put Down the Hammer" or "Vehicular Manslaughter Is Wrong"? Or are you just picking on us?

Sir, please inform your accounting department that, effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for I have chosen to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will certainly miss your Flexi-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending crap. And that's a promise I will keep. Always.

Best,
Wendi Aarons
Austin , TX