Kim Kardashian's Instagram Endorsement of Morning Sickness Drug Diclegis is Misleading, Says FDA

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Aug 12, 2015 07:16 AM EDT

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched a formal warning against the prescription pill Diclegis, touted as a morning sickness treatment for pregnant women. FDA's warnings came from the endorsement of TV celebrity Kim Kardashian of the pill on her Instagram page.

The Canadian drug company, Duchesnay, who hired Kardashian as the spokesperson for Diclegis was ordered by the FDA to remove the post from the TV personality's social media sites including Kim K's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram which had several millions of followers.

In the formal warning published by the FDA in their website, the agency accused the company of misleading or false promotion because the product endorsement did not contain possible side effects, risk information and usage details for the Diclegis pill.

"The social media post is false or misleading in that it presents efficacy claims for DICLEGIS, but fails to communicate any risk information associated with its use and it omits material facts," the agency wrote. "These violations are concerning from a public health perspective because they suggest that DICLEGIS is safer than has been demonstrated."

The letter also stated that the Duchesnay company had already been warned in 2013 for the similar issue of misleading product campaigning.

Kardashian, who is currently pregnant with her second child with husband Kanye West, wrote on her social media that she has been prescribed with Diclegis by her doctor for her severe morning sickness. She cited that the pills made her feel better and that the prescription medicine has been studied and will not harm the baby.

PEOPLE magazine notes that even though part of the reality actress' post contained the website of the manufacturer, it was not deemed sufficient for the FDA since the ad suggested that the pill was safe for both mother and child.

Before it was removed from Instagram, the post garnered more than 400,000 "likes" from Kim K's followers.

Since the formal warning, Kardashian's representative, Ina Treciokas, said that the "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" star have removed the social media posts on Monday.

"Kim gave her personal experience and ran this statement by the company, and the company signed off on it," Treciokas said via LA Times. "Any additional questions should be directed at the company."

Duchesnay told CNBC that while Kim K was a paid endorser; her experience from the drug remains her own. The outlet added that the reality star got it from her family's OB-GYN. The company added that it has acknowledged FDA's warning and will seek to be guided by the rules and regulations of the agency.

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