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WSMI publishes new booklet on "Advertising of non-prescription medicines"
May 2008
Nonprescription (or over-the-counter, OTC) medicines are medicines which are approved as safe and effective for use without a doctor’s prescription. These and other self-care products are available without medical supervision and can be purchased by patients and consumers through pharmacies and, in many countries, from supermarkets or other retail outlets. As no healthcare professional is necessarily involved in their use, advertising directly to the public of the availability of nonprescription medicines is essential.
The booklet is structured in three sections. The first section reviews the purposes and limitations of non-prescription medicines advertising, concluding that it is suited to the transmission of simple, focused messages. The second section of the booklet highlights the important - but largely unappreciated - contribution of non-prescription medicines' advertising to public health objectives, and the third section proposes a discussion on the appropriate regulation of nonprescription medicine advertising based on a review of various countries' experiences, including pre-release approval, post-publication surveillance and self-regulation schemes.
For a pdf version of the brochure, click [here].
To order a print copy, please send a request to admin@wsmi.org. |
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