off-label

A judge has finalized Allergan's $600 million settlement over the misleading marketing of its wrinkle-smoothing Botox medication. The pharmaceutical firm plead guilty to misbranding the product.

You know better than to believe everything companies say in ads, but when it comes to claims about the healthfulness of foods and other products, the untruths can reach outrageous levels. The question is: What can a government limited by the First Amendment do to stop them?

Pharmaceutical firm Allergan has settled criminal and civil charges that it promoted Botox for uses the FDA hadn't approved, agreeing to pay $600 million and enter into a "corporate integrity agreement." Allergan also dropped its related First Amendment lawsuit against the FDA.

In a reversal of the traditional roles, Allergan Inc. (AGN) is suing the U.S. government, claiming current rules on so-called off-label drug promotion violate its First Amendment right to free speech. It wants to be allowed to "share relevant information with the medical community on the safe use"...