§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how his Department monitors or controls the marketing of pharmaceutical drugs; and, in particular, to what extent and how advertising is monitored or controlled.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeFor those companies coming within the terms of the pharmaceutical price regulation scheme any expenditure on sales promotion is allowed as a cost only within certain limits. Any excess is treated as profit. In 1980 expenditure of about £18 million was disallowed in this way.
Advertising, both of prescription-only medicines and over-the-counter medicines, is controlled by a combination of statutory requirements, and voluntary codes administered by industry trade associations. It is an offence to issue a false or misleading advertisement, and any statement made in advertisements must be consistent with the particulars in the licence of the medicine concerned.
Prescription-only medicines may not be advertised to the public, and the trade associations which operate codes of practice in relation to public advertising require their members to submit statements to them for approval before they may be used.
Advertisements are scrutinised both by the DHSS and by the trade associations for compliance with the regulations and codes, and any complaints about advertising are investigated as necessary.