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Directive 2001/83/EC of the European Parliament and of the… Article 88

Article 88

1. Member States shall prohibit the advertising to the general public of medicinal products which: - are available on medical prescription only, in accordance with Title VI, - contain psychotropic or narcotic substances, such as the United Nations Conventions of 1961 and 1971, - may not be advertised to the general public in accordance with the second subparagraph of paragraph 2. 2. Medicinal products may be advertised to the general public which, by virtue of their composition and purpose, are intended and designed for use without the intervention of a medical practitioner for diagnostic purposes or for the prescription or monitoring of treatment, with the advice of the pharmacist, if necessary. Member States shall prohibit the mentioning in advertising to the general public of therapeutic indications such as: - tuberculosis, - sexually transmitted diseases, - other serious infectious diseases, - cancer and other tumoral diseases, - chronic insomnia, - diabetes and other metabolic illnesses. 3. Member States shall be able to ban, on their territory, advertising to the general public of medicinal products the cost of which may be reimbursed. 4. The prohibition referred to in paragraph 1 shall not apply to vaccination campaigns carried out by the industry and approved by the competent authorities of the Member States. 5. The prohibition referred to in paragraph 1 shall apply without prejudice to Article 14 of Directive 89/552/EEC. 6. Member States shall prohibit the direct distribution of medicinal products to the public by the industry for promotional purposes; they may, however, authorize such distribution in special cases for other purposes.

Read the full instrument → · Read this in context: TITLE VIII — ADVERTISING →

Other provisions in TITLE VIII — ADVERTISING

Compiled from an official source version. Later amendments or repeals may not be reflected; the official text prevails. · Read the official text ↗ · Data as of 2026-07-04

CitationArticle 88 of Directive 2001/83/EC of the European Parliament and of the… (LawPlayer, data as of 2026-07-04)

© European Union, https://eur-lex.europa.eu, 1998-2026. Reuse authorised under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU, provided the source is acknowledged.

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