Internet Advertising – An Ethical Guidance

The Internet is a hot topic. At a recent Drug Information Association meeting in Boston I learned details about terms like e-business, e-process, e-patients and my favourite, “cyberchondriacs”. In the PAAB office, I am frequently asked if the PAAB Code covers Internet advertising. The answer is “yes”. Pharmaceutical product advertising intended for health professionals and placed on Internet Web-sites that originate in Canada and are controlled by Canadian pharmaceutical companies are subject to the PAAB Code of Advertising Acceptance. In fact, if it is advertising as defined in federal legislation, it is subject to the Food & Drugs Act and Regulations. For the purposes of the Act, advertising is defined as “any representation by any means whatever for the purpose of promoting directly or indirectly the sale or disposal of any food, drug, cosmetic or device.”