Advertisements Directed to the Public

Abstract

The danger that can be caused to the public by unscrupulous advertisers has already been described and so have some of the problems associated with attempts to remedy the situation by law. The industry, and particularly the PAGB, has done much to improve standards of advertising relating to medicines sold to the public. Legal force has recently been applied to the problem by the Labelling and Advertising to the Public Regulations 1978/41. This set of regulations is extremely detailed and at first sight seems to prevent the advertising of almost every medicinal product. The list of ailments, diseases and the like for which medicines cannot be advertised is very long but is similar to that drawn up by the PAGB some years earlier. There is little that is controversial about the restrictions as regards the complaints and ailments and the result is that the advertising of medicines to the public is confined to more or less trivial complaints.