Egypt Issues New Law Regulating Advertisement of Health Related Products and Services
A new law under no. 206 for 2017 is issued in Egypt to regulate advertisement of health related products and services (the “Law”).
Health products are defined broadly to include all products, raw material or cosmetics related to human health or the treatment or prevention of illness whatever its form or structure, including its filling and packaging, whether locally manufactured or imported. Health services include all activities related to treatment or prevention of illnesses or epidemics, first aid, or body care.
According to the Law, the Prime Minister will establish a Higher Committee to be competent with granting licenses for advertising any health-related product or services. This Higher Committee will be headed by the Minister of Health and shall include representatives from the Ministries of supply, interior, justice, the syndicates of media, pharma and medicine, as well as the Customers Protection Agency.
Advertising is defined as publishing information or data related to a health product or activity or broadcasting it through any video, audio or electronic means of broadcasting either directly or indirectly.
The Higher Committee shall monitor the content of an advertising to ensure that the product or the services complies with the requirements of the relevant laws and regulations and that it does not violate the public policy rules and public morals. The committee will issue its decision regarding a license application within a maximum of two weeks, and its decisions will be mandatory. The committee is also competent to communicate with the Higher Media Counsel to stop broadcasting or publishing a violating advertisement.
The Law intensified the penalties for advertising a health product or services without a license to be imprisonment and monetary fines. Managers of a violating entity will be jointly liable in case they are aware of the violation