By: Audeli Angulo
Pharmaceutical promotion and advertising is a mechanism through which the national pharmaceutical industry and foreign pharmaceutical laboratories, through distributors and importers, make known in different ways the products they produce and their properties.
For this reason, it is necessary to analyze, evaluate, monitor and control said advertising, so that it is:
- Trustworthy
- Exacta
- True
- informative
- Balanced
- Updated
- Verifiable
- Good presentation
With the purpose of guaranteeing access to pharmaceutical products to the population, in accordance with the technical sheet of the Health Registry, avoiding irrational use.
Its purpose is to guarantee medical professionals, dentists, pharmacists; as well as to the general public, the correct application to all promotional and advertising material activities carried out by the pharmaceutical industry.
Health advertising must guide and educate regarding the product or service in question, for which it must refer:
- The characteristics, properties and recognized uses of products, services and activities.
- In Spanish, in key terms and easily understandable for the target audience, in accordance with the provisions of Law 292, Consumer Law, its regulations and technical standards.
- Indicate the necessary precautions when the use, handling, storage, possession or consumption of the products or the provision of services may cause risk or damage to people's health or the environment.
- The text and illustrations of advertising or literature, intended for doctors and health professionals, must be entirely compatible with the technical sheet of the health record authorized by the corresponding instance of the Ministry of Health.
- Advertising about medicines in the mass media such as radio, television, press and public places is limited to over-the-counter medicines.
- Advertising aimed at the general public must include the mandatory legends and these apply only to free-sale products.
- Legends and product information must be visible, legible in contrasting colors, placed horizontally, fixed when it comes to audiovisual and printed media.
- The promotion and advertising of pharmaceutical products must be limited only to those approved and registered in the country, they must not induce their abuse, nor irrational, misleading or exaggerated self-medication, but in any case favor their irrational use.
- When national or foreign pharmaceutical laboratories sponsor educational and scientific activities (congresses, symposiums, workshops, seminars) it must be mandatory and public knowledge; additionally, said laboratories may mention the sponsorship through the brand name of one or more products.
- Educational materials must be free of pharmaceutical advertising; they can only refer to the laboratory that issues them.
- Drug advertising should not use mechanisms that attract minors by inducing them to consume pharmaceutical products.