2.3 Glossary Breakthrough

The claim ‘breakthrough’ would only be acceptable where a product offers a significant, tangible benefit for consumers, compared to previously available products. In other words, where ‘advanced’ is a step forward, ‘breakthrough’ would be a leap forward.

2.3.1
A ‘breakthrough’ claim may be acceptable in the following circumstances:

• with formulations that have recently switched from POM to P
• where the product is the first in a therapeutic category to be available over the counter
• where the product is the first one in the therapeutic category to contain a particular active ingredient offering a significant clinical improvement on the active ingredients that were previously available.

For example, when statins switched from POM to P, they offered a breakthrough in self-medication for the treatment of raised cholesterol.

2.3.2
‘Breakthrough’ claims can be used for one year from the date when the first product with that particular attribute became available over the counter.