Article: Xenical reworks its ads; TV spots stress awareness, skip over side effects.(Hoffmann-La Roche ad campaign)(Brief Article)

After a costly launch campaign failed to deliver, Hoffmann-La Roche will break a follow-up TV and print offensive Feb. 6 for its much-hyped Xenical weight-loss drug. And it's clear Roche and its new agency, WPP Group's Y&R Advertising, New York, didn't ignore the past.

Gone are TV ads forced to detail the drug's jarring list of potential side effects. Gone is the male pitchman with the receding hairline who seemed incongruous with the female target. And gone are the shots of food common in the parade of ads for weight-loss products.

Instead, the new flight of awareness ads seek to prompt discussion between patient and physician about weight issues for ...

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