{"id":788,"date":"2024-10-17T18:13:15","date_gmt":"2024-10-17T22:13:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thechangemakers.com\/insight\/navigating-complexity-in-pharma-advertising\/"},"modified":"2025-03-21T15:14:34","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T19:14:34","slug":"navigating-complexity-in-pharma-advertising","status":"publish","type":"insight","link":"https:\/\/thechangemakers.com\/us\/insight\/navigating-complexity-in-pharma-advertising\/","title":{"rendered":"Navigating complexity in Pharma advertising"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Navigating complexity in Pharma advertising <\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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Pharma ads aren\u2019t trying to be clever \u2013 just compliant<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My son\u2019s hockey team was down 1-0, and the third period was drawing to a close. I sat in the stands watching anxiously, trying to focus on the game. However, I couldn\u2019t help eavesdropping on the parents next to me talking about pharmaceutical advertising. As someone who\u2019s worked in pharma advertising for years, my ears perked up.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat I don\u2019t get is why they won\u2019t tell us what the drug is for,\u201d said the parent. \u201cIt\u2019s all just, \u2018See your doctor<\/em>.\u2019 I mean, What\u2019s with the mystery?!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, I\u2019m sure there\u2019s a good reason,\u201d said the other parent, oblivious to the score. \u201cMaybe they are trying to be clever.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m grateful there was a youth hockey game to distract me because every fibre of my being longed to leap out of my seat and shout at the top of my lungs: \u201cWe\u2019re not being cute! We\u2019re being compliant!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To those who aren\u2019t well-versed in the complexity of pharmaceutical advertising in Canada, pharma ads can seem purposefully vague and mysterious. No mention of what the drug actually does and what condition it treats. Just a cryptic \u201ctalk to your doctor\u201d at the end. What many people don\u2019t understand is that in Canada, direct-to-consumer, or DTC, marketing is subject to Section C.01.044 of the Food and Drugs Act<\/a>, which states that if advertising a prescription drug to the general public, only the brand name, the price and quantity of the medication can be referenced.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is quite literally against the law to mention the therapeutic use of a prescription drug in Canadian consumer advertising. Additionally, all pharmaceutical content undergoes rigorous internal reviews \u2013 by Medical, Regulatory and Legal Departments \u2013 and external evaluation by Ad Standards Canada. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This makes marketing pharma very different from marketing other products; imagine trying to create an ad for paper towel where you can\u2019t mention it cleans up spills! But, DTC is vital because there is a need for pharmaceutical communication and brand building. Canadians need encouragement to speak with healthcare professionals about disease care. Canadian patients want to be educated and empowered with the tools to engage their healthcare providers in dialogue about their health. Pharma ads are an important part of that education. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, look at a common \u2013 and growing \u2013 disease like diabetes. According to Diabetes Canada<\/a>, there are millions of Canadians living with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (T2D) who don\u2019t know it. T2D is one of the fastest growing diseases, with more than 60,000 new cases diagnosed annually. And the effects of T2D can be debilitating. Encouraging Canadians to speak with a healthcare professional, which is what advertising and communications do, is vital to our health.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

DTC that connects <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because the stakes are high, research-based pharma would love to be more direct with Canadians. But strict regulations require a different approach. So how can pharma engage their audience in a compelling way while navigating the complexity of the regulations? Some best-practices our award-winning team at ChangeMakers has used: <\/p>\n\n\n\n