Advertising Medicines in the United Kingdom: Rules and Best Practices

1. Overview of advertising rules

In the UK, advertising of medicinal products is governed by specific legal requirements. You may advertise over-the-counter medicines, pharmacy medicines and general sales list products to the general public; however, prescription-only medicines (POMs) cannot be advertised to the public and may only be promoted to healthcare professionals or others who can prescribe or supply them. Any medicine must be licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) or, for Northern Ireland under certain circumstances, by the European Commission to be advertised. You may only advertise a medicine in a territory where it is licensed. Source: Advertise your medicines ([GOV.UK][1])

2. Advertising to the public

When advertising to the general public, adverts must meet content requirements and must not:

• promote a use not covered by the product licence
• make misleading claims or suggest guaranteed effects or no side-effects
• imply that seeing a doctor or pharmacist isn’t necessary
• use endorsements from healthcare professionals or celebrities
• target children under 16 Additionally, the advert must include the medicine’s name, the active ingredient (if single), what it’s for, and an instruction to “always read the label” or accompanying leaflet. Source: Advertise your medicines ([GOV.UK][1])

3. Advertising to healthcare professionals and prescribers

Medicines including prescription-only medicines can be advertised to healthcare professionals or others who prescribe or supply the product. In these adverts, information must include:

• product name and active ingredients
• summary of the product’s characteristics such as dosage, method of use, contraindications and precautions
• the condition(s) the medicine treats This provision allows companies to communicate clinical details where appropriate to professional audiences. Source: Advertise your medicines ([GOV.UK][1])

4. Licensing and territorial considerations

You may only advertise a medicine where it holds a marketing authorisation. For UK-wide advertising, ensure the product is licensed in both Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and include details of both licences if separate. Advertising a medicine outside its licensed territory or without a valid licence is prohibited under UK law. Source: Advertise your medicines ([GOV.UK][1])

5. Comparison with advertising codes

UK advertising codes such as the CAP Code also reflect legal restrictions: prescription-only medicines may not be advertised to the public under rules like CAP Code 12.12, reinforcing statutory advertising bans and protecting public health by limiting direct-to-consumer promotion of POMs. Source: CAP Code – Prescription-only medicines ([asa.org.uk][2])

6. Supporting Guidance: the Blue Guide

Detailed procedural and content advice on advertising and promoting medicines is provided in the MHRA Blue Guide, which interprets the legal framework and offers best practice examples. This guidance should be consulted alongside the core advertisement rules when planning campaigns. Source: Blue Guide: advertising and promoting medicines ([GOV.UK][3])

7. Enforcement and compliance

Regulatory bodies such as the MHRA and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) enforce these rules. Advertisements for prescription-only medicines directed at the public are subject to investigation and enforcement action, with penalties for non-compliance. This reflects ongoing efforts to protect public health and ensure accurate medical information. Source: MHRA and partners reaffirm advertising rules ([GOV.UK][4])