OREANDA-NEWS. May 31, 2013. In Lvov (Ukraine) at the 10th session of the Advertising Steering Council at the Interstate Council on Antimonopoly Policy (ICAP), representatives of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kirgizia, Moldova, Russia, Uzbekistan and Ukraine approved the Recommendations on the requirements for advertising medicines (drugs), medical products, medical equipment, medical services, methods of treatment and dietary supplements in the CIS member-states. Kazakhstan also approved the Recommendations.

The Recommendations, which are based on analysis of the advertising law in the CIS states, will be forwarded to ICAP for reconsideration.

The Recommendations on the requirements for advertising medicines (drugs), medical products, medical equipment, medical services, methods of treatment and dietary supplements in the CIS member-states includes the following:

1. Production, placement and dissemination of advertising medicines (drugs), medical products, medical equipment, medical services, methods of treatment is allowed:

- When there is a special permit (license) for production and sale of medicines (drugs), medical products, medical equipment, rendering medical services, methods of treatment, issued under the national laws of the CIS states

- When the national laws of the CIS states have tighter norms on advertising medicines (drugs), medical products, medical equipment, rendering medical services, methods of treatment, applying which requires special knowledge and training (doctor’s prescription).

2. In advertising of medicines (drugs), medical products, medical equipment, rendering medical services, methods of treatment it is not allowed to:

- Appeal directly to the minors

- Indicate therapeutic effect with regard to incurable or hardly treatable diseases

- Make a statement that the curative effect of using an object of advertising is guaranteed

- Contain information about cases of cure by using an object of advertising and acknowledgements from the cured persons

- Create an impression that doctors’ consultations are unnecessary

- Encourage healthy people to use an object of advertising;

3. Advertising of medicines (drugs) must give the full (including pharmacological) name of the medicine and must name the producer.

4. Advertising of medicines (drugs) must not represent an object of advertising as a food product.

5. Advertising of medicines (drugs), medical products and medical equipment must contain warnings about counter-indications and the importance to study the patient information leaflet.

6. Advertising of dietary supplements must not create an impression that an object of advertising is a medicine or have a therapeutic effect, positively affecting the course of disease.