Botox producer Allergan has been found guilty of breaching the UK Code of Practice today, after one of the company’s employees used Twitter to advertise one of their brands. Despite the fact the person in question used their own personal Twitter account to plug the organisation, the PMCPA (Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority) ruled that the global company had broken the rules by advertising prescription based medication on the social networking site.

The panel agreed to take into account the fact that the tweet was sent without the knowledge of parent organisation Allergan, and commented that they had been ‘badly let down’ by their employee. It is against company policy to comment on any business activity or advertise any product in a public arena, such as Twitter, but this didn’t seem to stop the activity taking place. Allergan have been told to remind their employees about their online tweeting, and urge them to be careful about what information they make public.

Despite this set back, Allergan have recently been in the headlines for boosting the economy of the small town of Westport in Co. Mayo, Ireland. The company has provided more than a thousand jobs by opening a factory for Botox production, and a research centre nearby, as well as bringing in business for the numerous hotels and beauty salons in the area.