Opinion ID: 440186
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Establishment of Pharmaceutical Claims

Text: 40 The complaint charged Sterling had claimed that Bayer's overall pharmaceutical superiority to other brands had been established and that Bayer's superiority as to certain specific pharmaceutical attributes had also been established. Sterling contended it was entitled to make such claims because of an in-house study it conducted in 1971 that compared Bayer to 220 other brands of plain 5-grain aspirin. The study evaluated thirty pharmaceutical characteristics. Sterling contended the study established both Bayer's overall pharmaceutical superiority to all other brands and its superiority with regard to the four specific attributes listed in the Commission's order. The Commission agreed that the Government had not carried its burden of proof because it did not show the aspirin comparison study was inadequate support for a claim of overall pharmaceutical superiority. However, after analyzing the test results on specific attributes and the expert testimony evaluating those results, the Commission determined the study did not support Sterling's claims as to those individual qualities. 41 Sterling's first argument on this issue is that, viewed as a whole, the advertisements claimed only that Bayer had overall pharmaceutical superiority, but made no specific claim of superior freshness, purity, or stability. It relies on the testimony of its expert, Dr. Miles, who concluded these individual attributes were buried in the advertisements and would not be noticed by consumers. The Commission apparently rejected the expert testimony because it believed the claim of superiority of individual attributes was clear on the face of the advertisements. It cited as an example a print advertisement that stated Bayer tested its aspirin against every other leading brand. For purity, stability, speed of disintegration, Bayer was consistently better. The inference that this advertisement claimed better purity, stability, and speed of disintegration is not unreasonable. The Commission was careful to distinguish advertisements that asserted only overall quality. We therefore reject Sterling's contention. 42 Alternatively, Sterling argues the Commission misconstrued the test results and ignored the testimony of its experts. The Commission's analysis as to each attribute, however, weighs the testimony of the experts and reveals the basis for the Commission's conclusions. This court may not redetermine the weight to be given Sterling's evidence. Corn Products Refining Co. v. F.T.C., 324 U.S. 726, 739, 65 S.Ct. 961, 967, 89 L.Ed. 1320 (1945); Safeway Stores, Inc. v. F.T.C., 366 F.2d 795, 800 (9th Cir.1966), cert. denied, 386 U.S. 932, 87 S.Ct. 954, 17 L.Ed.2d 805 (1967). We therefore affirm the conclusion that these claims were deceptive. 43