Marketing of pharmaceuticals products in Croatia

Nov 20, 2017 | Insight

Since joining the EU, Croatia has agreed to implement the applicable EU regulatory framework governing the pharmaceuticals sector.

The new legal framework on pharmaceuticals distribution is governed by the Croatian Regulation on Medicine Advertisement (CRMA), which provides several permitted marketing activities as well as the advertising towards the general public, the organisation of promotional events attended by the persons authorised to prescribe medicines, and the organisation of professional conferences.

The content of advertisement regarding medical products to the general public must first be examined and approved by the compliance experts due to the numerous restrictions imposed by CRMA. Prohibited content may include for example the provision that the advertised medicine guarantees success in treating a specific illness or is better than other similar products destined to cure the same illness.

The Ethical code of the EFPIA (European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations) is applicable to any events organized by the professionals acting in the pharmaceutical market in Croatia.

A failure to comply with the provisions of the law is sanctioned with fines that range from EUR 13,000 to EUR 20,000. These fines were put in place as an incentive for the pharmaceutical companies to carefully monitor their legal compliance. In addition to the fines, the pharmaceutical company may suffer damages to its reputation.