Telehealth startup Cerebral adjusted its marketing and advertising strategies to reflect the suspension of controlled substance prescriptions for new patients after allegations of overprescribing by providers surfaced, M+MM reported May 10.
Cerebral said it will update the language on its advertisements, review its existing promotional efforts and form a committee — composed of clinical and brand team members — to review paid social media ads.
According to a social media tracking firm PranifyRx, the company posted 110 Facebook ads and 220 Instagram ads on May 9.
A spokesperson from the company said that ads may not be new ad concepts, just edited versions that include revised language to note that Cerebral clinicians cannot prescribe controlled substances for new ADHD patients, which the company suspended May 9.
Cerebral is currently under investigation by the U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of New York, after its pharmacy partner, an employee, nurse practitioners and pharmacies across the country expressed concerns that the telehealth startup's clinicians were writing too many prescriptions for Adderall and other stimulants.
The company said no regulatory or law-enforcement authority has accused it of violating any law.