The Food and Drug Administration isn’t a fan of how Kim Kardashian is promoting a drug to help with morning sickness in pregnant women.
Kardashian is paid by the drug company Duchesnay to be a celebrity spokeswoman for the drug Diclegis, which has recently made a comeback as a popular antidote for pregnancy-induced nausea and vomiting. The reality TV star has posted on Facebook and Instagram about the drug, saying it made her feel “a lot better” and that it doesn’t increase risks for her baby.
One post from Kardashian read: “OMG. Have you heard about this? As you guys know my #morningsickness has been pretty bad. I tried changing things about my lifestyle, like my diet, but nothing helped, so I talked to my doctor. He prescribed me #Diclegis, and I felt a lot better and most importantly, it’s been studied and there was no increased risk to the baby.”
But Kardashian failed to mention key information about the risks Diclegis could pose to certain women, the FDA warned in a letter to Duchesnay on Tuesday. The drug’s effects haven’t been studied in women with an extreme form of nausea, known as hyperemesis gravidarum, the agency noted.
The FDA warned that if Kardashian continues omitting risk information, it may result in “regulatory action, including seizure or injunction, without notice.”
“The social media post misleadingly fails to provide material information about the consequences that may result from the use of the drug and suggests that it is safer than has been demonstrated,” the FDA wrote.
An early version of the drug was pulled from the market in the 1980s, after a string of lawsuits alleged it caused fetal malformations. But in 2013, FDA approved a Diclegis as a new combination pill and it’s grown in popularity since then.
