Medication Advertising: What INVIMA Regulates in Colombia

Advertising a medication does not work like advertising any other product. Because a medication affects health, INVIMA defines how it can be advertised, in which media, and whom the message is aimed at. Before booking a campaign it is worth being clear on those rules, because a poorly framed ad can end in a penalty or an order to pull it.

Who regulates medication advertising

In Colombia, INVIMA is the health authority that oversees and controls medication advertising. It is not enough for the message to be appealing: it has to respect the health framework and match what the authority approved for that product. The underlying aim is to protect the public from messages that exaggerate benefits or encourage misuse of the medication.

The rule changes with how the medication is sold

The starting point is the sale condition, because not all medications can be advertised the same way.

Prescription-only medications

Those sold only with a prescription are promoted solely through channels aimed at the healthcare professionals authorized to prescribe them, such as publications and restricted-access spaces. They are not advertised to the general public, because the decision to use them goes through medical judgment.

Over-the-counter medications

Over-the-counter ones can reach the public in mass media. Even so, that advertising is regulated and, depending on the case, may require authorization or prior notice to INVIMA and is subject to later control. The detail of the process depends on the type of product and the rule in force, a point worth confirming with advice before going on air.

Rules that apply to any ad

Beyond the sale condition, there are principles that cover all medication advertising:

• The information must stick to the truth and not exaggerate the product’s virtues.
• The message cannot mislead or deceive the consumer.
• The content has to match what was approved in the medication’s sanitary registration.

When the ad promises something the registration does not support, or suggests uses that were not authorized, it stops meeting the rule. That is where official requirements and penalties come in.

Before publishing, read the fine print

A campaign can be ready on the creative side and still fall short on the regulatory one. It is worth checking the script, the assets, and the health claims against what was approved in the registration and against the rule that applies to that medication. It is cheaper to adjust the message in time than to pull an ad that has already run.

At SPI Américas we review your product’s advertising so it meets INVIMA’s requirements before it goes to market. If you have a campaign on the way, let’s talk.