Advertisements and promotions of CTGTP

Healthcare professionals, as specified in the First Schedule to the Regulations, includes:

• Qualified practitioners.

• Registered pharmacists.

• Enrolled nurses, registered nurses and registered midwives.

• Persons undergoing training with a view to becoming practitioners, pharmacists, enrolled nurses, registered nurses or registered midwives.

Advertisements of prescription-only medicines such as CTGTP or advertisements making reference to any specified diseases and conditions are only allowed in the following instances:

• Advertisements distributed to relevant healthcare professionals.

• Reference advertisements that contain both of the following:

  1. A brief description of a therapeutic product (TP) or a cell, tissue or gene therapy product (CTGTP), its use, any contraindications and warning relating to its use.

  2. An appearance without charge in a publication consisting mainly of such advertisements where the publication is sent or delivered by a person who is not the manufacturer, supplier, retailer, importer or exporter of the TP or CTGTP to one or more of the persons specified in the First Schedule.

• Trade advertisements that fulfils both of the following criteria:

  1. An advertisement relating to a TP or CTGTP which is issued by means of a catalogue, price list or other document for the purpose of supplying the TP or CTGTP by wholesale.

  2. Does not contain any recommendation relating to the use of the TP or CTGTP, other than as part of the name of the TP or CTGTP or as part of any heading or sub-heading indicating a TP or CTGTP classification.

• For the purpose of information published on corporate websites, press releases and product launch events that are not opened to the public. Such information must be non-promotional and any representation concerning the product's intended purpose and efficacy must be consistent with its registration, product notification or supported by evidence and any risk-benefit profile.

• Advertisements distributed at pharmaceutical trade fairs, exhibitions and scientific conferences, or forums which are restricted in attendance to medical or scientific professionals, and not opened to the general public.

Specified diseases and conditions 

The specified diseases and conditions listed in the Third Schedule of the Health Products (Advertisement of Specified Health Products) Regulations 2016 include:

1. Blindness
2. Cancer
3. Cataract
4. Drug addiction
5. Deafness
6. Diabetes
7. Epilepsy or fits
8. Hypertension
9. Insanity
10. Kidney diseases
11. Leprosy
12. Menstrual disorder
13. Paralysis
14. Tuberculosis
15. Sexual function
16. Infertility
17. Impotency
18. Frigidity
19. Conception and pregnancy

Comparative claims of the CTGTP are allowed in the following instances:

• Advertisements distributed to relevant healthcare professionals.

• Advertisements distributed at pharmaceutical trade fairs, exhibitions and scientific conferences, or forums which are restricted in attendance to medical or scientific professionals, and not opened to the general public.

Corporate websites refer to internet websites of product registrants or licensees that provide information about the company.

Local corporate websites belonging to product registrants and licensees may list factual information about their products. This information may include those related to the list of specified diseases and conditions.

Such information must be non-promotional, consistent with its registration or notification, or supported by evidence. It must not contain promotional elements for the purpose of inducing sales or usage of the product.

Discussion boards or forums relating to the product are not allowed on corporate websites.

An advertisement of an unregistered or unnotified CTGTP may only be made under the following scenarios:

• In the form of an article in a medical or scientific journal, review or publication.

• In the course of providing or exchanging scientific or medical information at, and in accordance with the published programme or agenda of, a scientific conference or forum that is a private event.

• At a pharmaceutical trade fair, pharmaceutical trade exhibition, scientific conference or scientific forum that is a private event. The CTGTP must be approved, licensed or registered in at least one country outside Singapore, and contain a statement that it is not registered or notified in Singapore.

• A private event is one that is not open to attendance by the general public, and at which the therapeutic product or cell, tissue or gene therapy product, which is the subject of the advertisement mentioned here, is not sold or offered for sale, and is not given out or offered as a sample.

In addition, any advertisement of an unregistered or unnotified CTGTP may contain a representation concerning its intended purpose or efficacy, which must be substantiated by objective scientific evidence.

You must not, in the course of conducting the sales promotion, offer any prize to motivate the wholesale purchase of a CTGTP.

As part of sales promotion, a registered or notified CTGTP may be offered together with any medicinal or health product if they are intended to be supplied:

• To a qualified practitioner or a registered pharmacist.

• By wholesale by a person with a valid wholesaler's licence.

  • Wholesale refers to supply or transfer of possession by exchange, gift, lease, loan, hire or hire-purchase of a product, regardless of quantity supplied, to another entity for onward supply. Supply by wholesale would include supplying of commercial samples and export.