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# OPDP Hits AbbVie Over Serena Williams DTC Ad
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/opdp-hits-abbvie-over-serena-williams-dtc-ad/
- Published: 2024-09-11T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-14T14:40:58.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: Drugs, #legacy-id-D5157753

CDER’s Office of Prescription Drug Promotion (OPDP) has cited AbbVie in a [just-released untitled letter](https://www.fda.gov/media/181754/download?attachment&ref=fdaweb.com) over its television direct-to-consumer advertisement for migraine drug Ubrelvy (ubrogepant). The ad, featuring tennis great **Serena Williams**, contains misleading information about the drug's efficacy, OPDP says.

The TV commercial suggests that a single dose of Ubrelvy can completely eliminate migraine pain, a claim that OPDP states is unsupported by clinical evidence. The advertising unit points to the drug’s Clinical Studies section in the approved labeling that indicates about 19% to 22% of patients achieved pain freedom at two hours after receiving one dose. The labeling also says “If needed, a second dose \[of Ubrelvy\] may be taken at least two hours after the initial dose.”

OPDP acknowledges in the letter that the ad contained a small superimposed claim that “some people had pain freedom within two hours.” However, OPDP says that this does not mitigate the misleading suggestion that “one dose eliminate\[s\] migraine pain.”

Moreover, OPDP says, “the use of a celebrity athlete in this TV ad amplifies the misleading representations and suggestions made and increases the potential for audiences to find the misleading promotional communication more believable due to the perceived credibility of the source.”

FDA has requested that AbbVie address these issues by discontinuing the misleading promotional materials and providing a written response within 15 working days. The response should detail how AbbVie plans to correct the advertising violations and ensure compliance with federal regulations moving forward, OPDP wrote.