The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has found that Napp Pharmaceuticals broke its advertising rules. A complaint was lodged about the firm's advert for the painkiller BuTrans (buprenorphine matrix patch) in the British Medical Journal in November 2005.

The MHRA upheld a complaint from a healthcare professional that prescribing information was too small to read. Napp admitted the error and agreed to change future adverts.

MHRA Senior Policy Manager Jeremy Mean said: "Pharmaceutical companies are responsible for all aspects of their advertising and its presentation and must ensure that they adhere to strict procedures to ensure the law is upheld. "The work of the MHRA enforces high standards of advertising for medicines to ensure their safe use."

In a second case it was found promotional literature from the firm Deproco (UK) stated maximum dosages for a range of anaesthetics solutions exceeded the maximum dosage stated in the summary of product characteristics agreed by the MHRA.