• New SERVICES!
• Rapid Access Consults: Offers fast-turnaround feedback on targeted questions or materials. This service is designed for situations where speed is critical and focused regulatory insight is needed quickly. Early client feedback shows that this service has been helpful in shaping project plans.
• Intra-Review Consults: Allow clients to engage with PAAB while a submission or review is already underway. These consults help address questions, clarify expectations, and resolve issues before they escalate. Early client feedback has been that this service helps overcome challenging issues early in the review.  
• PM Consults: Supports proactive project management by aligning regulatory considerations with timelines and deliverables. This service helps teams integrate PAAB guidance into broader planning and execution.



• Launch of the Anonymous Drug Advertising Reporting Portal: PAAB has launched an anonymous reporting portal: a space for all stakeholders to report advertising anonymously (optional) and confidentially. This system is designed to reduce the barriers to report advertising which is perceived to be in violation of the advertising regulations and PAAB Code. To date, we’ve had 10 reported incidents in Q1 with 6 actions taken thus far.  

• Save the Date:
• PAAB 50^th Anniversary Celebration 🎉 – September 10^th, 2026. Toronto Reference Library. We hope that everyone in the PAAB community will join us to celebrate this momentous milestone. Early Bird pricing will launch soon. If you’re interested in sponsoring the event, please reach out to info@paab.ca.
• PAAB National Workshops – November 3^rd Montreal; November 5^th Toronto. Please save the date to join us for our annual national workshops where we’ll work through interactive cases and develop your skills in applying the PAAB Code.  

Early access ticket pricing & agenda will be released soon. If you’d like to be involved, please email info@paabtraining.ca

• PAAB On-Demand Training: Want to brush up on your knowledge before national workshops? New to pharma and need to gain understanding of the PAAB Code now?

Check out our on-demand learning at paabtraining.ca. PAAB 1.0 is our foundational module which covers fair balance, substantiating claims, patient and consumer material, multi-channel marketing to HCPs and social media. PAAB 2.0 takes trainees to the next level, applying 1.0 to more complex tactics like emails, banner ads, digital conferences, branded HCP sites, and all things patient.

Need to scale PAAB Training across your organization?

Check out PAAB's Enterprise training offering. Onboard teams quickly, track progress in real-time and secure preferred volume rates. Learn more here.

• Summer Hours - PAAB modified business hours for 2026 will start on Monday, May 4^th and will end on Friday, October 9^th. Modified business operations hours will be:

Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:30pm

Friday 8:30am to 1:15pm.

Please note: eFiles modified hours submission end times will be:

Monday – Thursday 4:30pm

Friday – 12:15pm

• Online Clinic/Pharmacy Promotional Compliance Assessment & Ongoing Assurance Program – PAAB has launched a Canada-specific compliance assessment service to help online clinics and pharmacies compliantly promote within the Canadian environment.

• Monitoring Incidents: PAAB has identified 14 monitoring incidents in Q1 of 2026. 4 incidents were brought to our attention through the anonymous reporting portal.   

• AI Assisted Submission Process – PAAB has now started mapping AI augmented services for eFile submissions. If you are an agency who would like to contribute to testing and provide feedback to improve features, please reach out to info@paab.ca Attn: Danielle Anthony ASAP as consultation has started.

• Reminder: ARO EXPANSION HAS ARRIVED: ALL APS will be eligible for ARO, with the following exceptions:​
• APS that include many pages of new content or many references requiring detailed review will have to meet the following thresholds: ​
• ARO 2: >10 pages of new content or >5 references requiring detailed assessment ​
• ARO 4: >20 pages of new content or >10 references requiring detailed assessment ​
• ARO 7: >40 pages of new content or >20 references requiring detailed assessment ​
• ARO 2 and ARO 4 are also generally not available for APS using data from non–Product Monograph studies unless those studies have been previously approved for use in advertising.

• Guidelines Endorsement Letter – PAAB will be providing this letter upon request via the manufacturer or agency. It will be filled out for the specific medical body which the sponsor is soliciting confirmation from. We’re doing this to ensure appropriate tracking and to avoid duplicate requests being submitted to medical bodies.  

• Attention Icon Formatting Guidance – The new formatting requirements are now in effect. This document outlines the revised approach to formatting for the Attention Icon. The new icon and formatting captures feedback from HCPs while maintaining the integrity of separation and clear disclosure of non-gold standard data. Ongoing files can update the formatting immediately if they wish. Straight renewals will be considered without revision to formatting if the sponsor does not wish to update to the new formatting for business reasons such as using up stock. 

• If you missed last quarter’s review, don’t forget to review here to make sure you’re up to date on all things new at PAAB and upcoming projects.  
  

Those using the forum may notice fewer direct PAAB responses as we transition towards a community-led model. We invite members to answer each other’s questions to flex their understanding and help grow the community understanding. Rest assured that we’re monitoring the responses and will jump in if there are any misunderstandings. Let’s continue to grow and strengthen the community together.

19 Forum questions across 9 agencies, 1 manufacturer, across 11 different users. 5 questions answered by community members 🎉. Topics covered: 

• .com/.ca domain
• Study design scrolling
• Guidelines for class claims
• Fair balance stickers
• Fictitious patient not following guidelines
• Price comparison sell sheet
• Opioid RMTs
• Definition of a “sell sheet”
• Clinical significance and exclusivity claims
• Controlled substance search options
• Cross audience visuals 

2026 marks PAAB’s 50^th Anniversary! We’ll be celebrating this milestone in September and hope you’ll all come join us as we look back on the last 50 years. This is not just a celebration of PAAB, but of the industry and its commitment to truthful and trustworthy advertising.

AI Preflight - Consultation with clients is underway to integrate AI capabilities into the preflight process. The goal is to streamline processes and off-load repetitive tasks onto AI to free up valuable client time. If you’d like to be involved, please reach out to info@paab.ca Attn: Danielle Anthony.

• Q4 tag report and CEI report are now live. Review the most common tags, what PAAB is doing to address them, and the CEI feedback submitted by you and your colleagues.
• As a reminder, the tickets are completely confidential. If you want more information on the tagging system, please see Client Tagging System Advisory.
• As a reminder, the CEI captures the overall experience with a file and the review process. It helps to impact macro processes and performance. The “tags” help us pinpoint cases where there was an event that could be assessed for learning purposes, checked for consistency, or which could be used to implement change. This specific feedback helps us improve performance on a more granular level. 
  

PAAB Forum Quarterly Review January - March 2026

A review of the last quarter on the PAAB Forum: January - March 2026

PAAB Q&A

Do you have questions? We have answers!

Popular Topics

Guidance, Fair balance, Best practices, Referencing, DTC, Health Canada, Market share claim, Escalation phone call, Clarification phone call, Prominence