Advertising of human medicines

The Catalan Department of Health has updated its Guide on advertising of human medicines, which was first published in 2003 and provides a practical interpretation of the regulations on this matter. The main novelty of the fifth edition of the guide, which replaces the previous one from 2016, is the extensive development of the section on advertising of medicines in the digital environment, which was accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. This section compiles and clarifies the criteria that the Catalan authority has been establishing in its regular bulletins on advertising of medicines and specifies the applicable rules according to the different digital channels used by pharmaceutical companies to communicate with their audiences.

The guide distinguishes between inserted advertising, which is displayed on platforms that do not limit user access, such as Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, Spotify, and directed advertising, which is sent through tools for direct communication with health professionals, such as WhatsApp, Telegram or email. The guide lists the characteristics and functionalities of each digital communication system and invites pharmaceutical companies to choose the most appropriate one according to their project, audience and objective. It also explains the obligations of the pharmaceutical company as the responsible party for promotional and educational materials and indicates the standards of use and appropriate behaviors.

Additionally, the guide incorporates a new section on definitions to make its terms more precise and eliminates the section on advertising of medicines to the public, as it is covered in more detail in other guides. It also updates the reference to the use of QR codes in promotional materials, incorporating the recent information note from the General Directorate of Common Services of the National Health Services and Pharmacy (Dirección General de Cartera Común de Servicios del SNS y Farmacia) on this matter. Furthermore, the guide offers new procedures that are available to pharmaceutical companies subject to the control of the Catalan Department of Health in advertising matters, such as the communication of materials, which aims to notify advertising activities of human medicines, and the annual index to receive economic compensation by reducing the percentage of participation in the margin of human medicines manufactured industrially and funded with public resources. Finally, the guide includes two annexes listing the main features to consider when distributing communications in the digital environment, according to the type of advertising and the social media platform chosen.

Key takeaways:

• The new edition of the guide focuses on advertising of medicines in the digital environment and provides a comprehensive, updated interpretation of the state regulations on this matter.
• The guide distinguishes between inserted and directed advertising and specifies the applicable rules according to the different digital channels used by pharmaceutical companies to communicate with their audiences.
• The guide also includes new definitions, updates the reference to using QR codes and offers new procedures for notifying advertising activities and receiving economic compensation.