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Ground Report | New Delhi: Why Naaptol and Sensodyne ads banned; The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has approved two orders against an online shopping entity and a company that sells a popular brand of toothpaste, ordering them to immediately cease "advertising misleading".
The authority has also issued an order against Naaptol Online Shopping Limited for the use of misleading advertisements and unfair commercial activities in promoting its products. The CCPA took notice of the matter ex officio and issued orders against GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare on January 27 and Naaptol on February 2.
The authority asked GSK to suspend all advertisements for Sensodyne products in the country within seven days of the order being issued, saying the advertisements were in breach of regulations as they depicted dentists practising outside of India endorsing the products.
Stating that regulations governing dentists in India clearly prohibit public endorsement of any product or drug, the CCPA said GSK Consumer Healthcare "cannot afford to circumvent existing law in India and show foreign dentists exploiting consumer apprehension about tooth sensitivity.
"Therefore, advertising for Sensodyne products in India showing endorsement by dentists practising outside of India qualifies as 'misleading advertising' under Section 2 (28) of the Consumer Protection Act 2019".
The CCPA also directed the Director General (Investigation) to report within 15 days on several claims: "recommended by dentists worldwide," "world's #1 sensitivity toothpaste," "clinically proven relief, works in 60 seconds", etc. documents submitted by the company in support of these claims.
“We confirm receipt of the CCPA request. As we take a closer look, we'd like to clarify that our marketing initiatives comply with applicable laws and industry guidelines. We are a responsible and compliant company that is committed to the well-being of its consumers," a spokesperson for GSK Consumer Healthcare said in a statement.
Taking up another suo moto case, the CCPA passed an order against Naaptol Online Shopping Ltd asking the company to discontinue misleading advertisements of "Set of 2 Gold Jewelry", "Magnetic Knee Support" and "Acupressure Yoga Slippers".
The CCPA also directed Naaptol to correct complaints filed between May 2021 and January 2022 and file a report within 15 days. Data from the National Consumer Helpline indicates that 399 complaints were registered against Naaptol from June 2021 to January 25 of this year, it added.
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