Code of Practice for the Promotion of Animal Medicines

As with any industry, marketing animal health products is a key factor in spreading information about their use, as well as promoting sales. All advertising is subject to the rules of the Advertising Standards Authority, but as with human pharmaceuticals animal medicines promotions are regulated. There are special requirements in the Veterinary Medicines Regulations, and an additional industry Code of Practice which is obligatory on all NOAH members and has also been endorsed by several non-member companies.

The Code of Practice was established as a form of self-regulation by the animal health industry in matters relating to product promotion. The Code of Practice Committee is actually older than NOAH itself, dating back to 1974 when NOAH was the Animal Health Register of Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry and the code was called the Veterinary Code of Practice.

The Code of Practice book (21st edition) came into force from 1 July 2010, incorporating:

Preface and Introduction
Provisions of the Code
Rules of Procedure for the Code of Practice Committee
Data Sheets
IFAH-Europe Code of Good Practice
Guidance Notes
Plain Guide to the Code and Handling Complaints

Summary of cases in 1999
Summary of cases in 2000
Summary of cases in 2001
Summary of cases in 2002
Summary of cases in 2003
Summary of cases in 2004-5
Summary of cases in 2006
Summary of cases in 2007
Summary of cases in 2008
Summary of cases in 2009
Summary of breaches of each clause of the Code

Press releases

Merial Animal Health found in breach of NOAH Code on promotion (29 June 2010)
Promotion of antimicrobials to famers (23 June 2010)
Pfizer Animal Health found in breach of NOAH Code on promotion (7 January 2010)
Intervet/Schering-Plough found in breach of NOAH Code on promotion (25 September 2009)
Boehringer Ingelheim found in breach of NOAH Code on promotion (24 March 2009)
Intervet/Schering-Plough found in breach of NOAH Code on promotion (20 November 2008)
Formal Code of Practice Reprimand for Pfizer Animal Health (5 August 2008)
Pfizer found in breach of NOAH Code on promotion (17 March 2008)
Formal Code of Practice Reprimand for Novartis Animal Health (5 March 2008)
Novartis Animal Health found in breach of NOAH Code on promotion (23 November 2007)
Alstoe and Novartis found in breach of NOAH Code on promotion (6 July 2007)
Merial Animal Health found in breach of NOAH Code on promotion (11 June 2007)
Schering-Plough found in breach of revised NOAH code on promotion (20 October 2006)
Novartis and Bayer found in breach of revised NOAH code on promotion (16 June 2006)
VMD informal reaction on advertising goes 'a long way but not far enough' to answer communication concerns, says NOAH (20 April 2005)
New chairman for NOAH code (20 December 2001)
Updated version of animal medicine promotion code published (6 July 2000)
How to complain about animal medicine ads - the NOAH code explained (28 October 1999)
New Appointments to NOAH Code Committee (13 June 1997)
Code of Practice - Precis of Last Quarter 1996 Cases (13 June 1997)
Promotion of Animal Medicines: Standards of Responsibility Improved (17 January 1997)

Other information

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