New law governing the promotion of medicines will mean minimal changes

A new law has substantially limited the way pharmaceutical products can be advertised. Sector representatives and media companies claim that the changes will have little real impact as loopholes in the law will soon be found. Analysts believe the only difference will be the marketing techniques used by the companies. The major reform ushered in by the law, was to ban actors from playing the role of doctors in television adverts. Pharmaceutical companies have already started to cancel or alter their commercials. How much this will cost is hard to predict and drug producers refuse to speculate on the sums involved. Last year their advertising budget was zl. 150 million, which does not include the cost of direct promotion or organizing conferences. The new regulation will also change the way drug producers relate to the medical profession, doctors will no longer be allowed to accept any gifts from the company or sale reps. (Prawo i Gospodarka, pp. 1, 4) M.M.