The Competition Promotion and Consumer Protection Committee has imposed a financial penalty on Nika Pharm LLC for violating ethical and cultural standards in a medicine advertisement that misused the images of historical figures, the agency announced.
According to the committee, Nika Pharm launched a promotional campaign for its nasal spray, Rinoksil Formula+, featuring historical depictions of Amir Timur (Tamerlane), George Washington, Avicenna, Julius Caesar, Alisher Navoiy, and Napoleon Bonaparte. The advertisement depicted these iconic figures in various scenarios, suggesting that they used the medication themselves.
"Advertising a pharmaceutical product in this manner exploits the images of renowned historical figures and our great ancestors in a way that shows utter disrespect and directly contradicts our established ethical and cultural values," the committee stated in its official ruling.
Under Article 16 of the Advertising Law, using forms, expressions, or images that violate national and family traditions, as well as generally accepted norms of morality and ethics, is strictly prohibited.
Following an official probe into the violations, the committee initiated a formal case against Nika Pharm LLC, culminating in a directive to enforce financial sanctions.
This is not the company's first regulatory infraction. In September of last year, the Competition Committee fined Nika Pharm LLC for an illegal advertisement that misleadingly attributed therapeutic and curative properties to a dietary supplement, a direct violation of advertising laws.
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