FDA sends 23 warning letters about drug ads.(advertising)(Food and Drug Administration)

Recent criticism of Pfizer and AstraZeneca for putting out misleading advertisements are just the tip of the iceberg and have led to calls for tighter restrictions on drug advertising to consumers, to restore the industry's public image.

In 2004, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent out at least 23 warning letters to pharmaceuticals companies, including Schering, Boehringer Ingelheim, Abbott Laboratories, Novartis and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, about misleading drug ads.

Pfizer was warned in January by the FDA for putting out misleading ads for its COX-2 inhibitor painkillers Celebrex and Bextra. According to the FDA, the ads violate US law and must be …