Poland moves to lift long-standing pharmacy advertising ban

A legislative proposal to lift the total ban on pharmacy advertising has been submitted to the Sejm in Poland. This move aims to align national law with a ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union, which found the long-standing prohibition since 2012 to be inconsistent with EU law.

The new regulations will allow pharmacies and pharmacy points to advertise their services and offerings, but with strict limitations to prevent aggressive or misleading marketing. Prohibited practices include offering benefits in exchange for purchases, using the image or voice of minors (including digitally generated ones), and employing comparative advertising methods.

Additionally, the rules will ban the use of famous personalities or individuals with medical training to influence consumer decisions, though the use of pharmacists' images may be permitted. The legislation also extends to allowing advertisements for medical devices in non-pharmacy outlets, such as general stores. Penalties for violating these new advertising rules will increase from 50,000 PLN to 100,000 PLN.