How should South Africa deal with direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising within the context of globalisation and the Internet? HealthLink Position Paper

It is primarily informed by two perspectives:

• In the South African National Drug Policy,1 published in 1996, the role of drug advertising is specifically mentioned. In chapter 7 (rational use of drugs), the policy proposes the development of national criteria for acceptable advertising and promotion of drugs.
• The realisation that the effects of globalisation and the establishment of the Internet have rendered current measures to control drug advertising impotent.

In reviewing international policies for drug advertising, it is noted that most current legal and self-regulatory codes operate on the basis of three main ingredients:

• The source of the advertisement (such as the manufacturer),
• The intention of the advertisement (promotion of sale), and
• The contents of the advertisement (which should generally match with the evidence submitted for registration of the product).