Ground rules for marketing

The marketing rules under the Code of Ethics are extremely detailed; the main principles are as follows:

• The marketing of prescription-only medicines can only be targeted at professionals who are entitled to prescribe or dispense medicines and need pharmaceutical information in their work. These professionals include physicians, dentists and veterinarians as well as the pharmaceutical personnel at pharmacies.

• Only self-care medicines available without prescription may be marketed to consumers. Consumer marketing of prescription-only medicines is prohibited.

• A pharmaceutical company can inform consumers about various diseases and their prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The health information focused on disease awareness must guide the consumer towards additional information on health promotion and the treatment of the disease.

Click here to read more:
PIF Code of Ethics (pdf)