Belgium
BACHI, the Belgian industry association for OTC medicines and pharmacy-based health products, communicated about collaborating with Farmaline, a well-known online pharmacy. According to BACHI, it was found that Farmaline does not respect Belgian legislation on advertising of medicines. They would spread advertising activities and publications without the prior consent of the marketing authorization holder (MAH).
In response to these serious concerns and to avoid any complaint from the competent authorities, we urge you to:
- Monitor Farmaline’s Online Channels: closely observe all promotional activities and publications for your products to ensure they meet regulatory standards.
- Implement Contractual Safeguards: include specific clauses in your contract with Farmaline to safeguard compliance.
- Immediate Withdrawal of Advertising: Farmaline must ensure the immediate withdrawal of any advertising material upon request of the customer or competent authorities.
- Restriction on YouTube Advertising: Farmaline is to refrain from publishing any advertising for medicinal products on YouTube (when not approved for that specific medium).
- No Content Modification: Under no circumstances should Farmaline adapt the content or modify the format of advertising, as these have been approved by the competent authorities.
We encourage you to be vigilant and to ensure that all promotional activities are conducted in strict accordance with Belgian legislation.
Source: Internal communication from BACHI to industry stakeholders.