From 1 January 2012, doctors will only be able to obtain a medicinal product sample for 2 years after first requesting it, and will be limited to a maximum of 4 samples per year.
The change affects pharmaceutical companies affiliated to the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) and results from its introduction of an amended Code of Advertising Prescription-only Medicinal Products.
A similar change will be introduced to the Code of Good Marketing Practice for the Pharmaceutical Industry, Cooperation with Representatives of Health and Patient Organizations INFARMA, whose signatories form a large proportion of the companies producing new medicinal products for the Polish market.
The underlying legal position is unchanged, limiting doctors to a maximum of 5 samples of the smallest package of the medicinal product available in Poland. As the law will thus be more liberal than the Code, companies that are not affiliated to EFPIA or INFARMA will have a larger sample allowance.
This article was written for Law-Now, CMS Cameron McKenna's free online information service. To register for Law-Now, please go to www.law-now.com/law-now/mondaq
Law-Now information is for general purposes and guidance only. The information and opinions expressed in all Law-Now articles are not necessarily comprehensive and do not purport to give professional or legal advice. All Law-Now information relates to circumstances prevailing at the date of its original publication and may not have been updated to reflect subsequent developments.
The original publication date for this article was 21/12/2011.
