Promoting medicines to the public on social media
This page explains some of the legal rules for advertising or promoting human medicines to the public, including on social media. It is important to check the Regulations for the full list of rules.
What law applies and who enforces it?
In Ireland, the Medicinal Products (Control of Advertising) Regulations 2007 sets out the legal rules for advertising human medicines. The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) checks if individuals and businesses are following these laws correctly. We take action when needed, including reporting or removing online content.
What counts as medicines advertising?
Advertising a medicine means any information or activity, "designed to promote the prescription, supply, sale or consumption" of medicines. If something meets this definition, it must comply with the law.
This includes, but is not limited to, advertising medicines to the public online, including on websites and social media.
Who must follow the law for advertising medicines?
Anyone who advertises or promotes a medicine in Ireland must follow the law. This applies to advertising through traditional media (e.g. print, broadcast, outdoor, etc.) and online media (e.g. websites, social media platforms, etc.). It can include websites and social media posts that advertise medicines. It also includes medicines advertising by businesses which offer services that may lead to prescription and supply of a medicine. For example, services involving prescription-only medicines containing:
- botulinum toxin
- semaglutide
- tirzepatide
What the law allows and prohibits when advertising medicines
The following points explain some of the legal rules about what is allowed and not allowed when advertising or promoting medicines to the public. It is important to check the Regulations for the full list of rules. They apply to everyone and you must apply them consistently.
Complying with the law helps to ensure that medicines advertising promotes safe and appropriate use of medicines.
Unauthorised or unregistered medicines
It is prohibited to advertise or promote any human medicine that is not authorised or registered in Ireland.
- Check our website to confirm if a medicine is authorised in Ireland. This list includes all authorised human medicines.
- If you are unsure whether a product counts as a medicine, see our Guide to the Definition of a Human Medicine, linked below. The guide explains how we assess borderline products and decide whether they are medicines or another type of product.
Prescription-only medicines
It is prohibited to advertise or promote prescription-only medicines to the public in Ireland. This applies to all media formats, including traditional and online. It also covers all promotional activities.
To check if a medicine is prescription-only in Ireland, search for it in our list of authorised medicines. The medicine's information will show its legal supply status, such as "prescription only" or "not subject to medical prescription".
Free samples
Advertising law does not allow free samples of medicines to be given to anyone who is not legally allowed to prescribe that medicine. There are also specific regulatory rules when supplying free samples.
Recommendations by certain individuals
When medicines are advertised to the public, they must not include recommendations from:
- scientists
- health professionals
- people with celebrity status
Advertising non-prescription medicines
The law allows some non-prescription medicines to be advertised to the public. To check if a medicine can be advertised to the public, search for it in our list of authorised medicines. The medicine's information will show its advertising conditions, such as "advertising to the general public" or "advertising to healthcare professionals only".
If a non-prescription medicine can be advertised to the public, the advertising must:
- Ensure that any information provided about the medicine is based on the information in its Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC).
- Encourage the rational use of the medicine. The medicine should be presented objectively and without exaggerating what it can do.
- Not be misleading.
- Comply with all other points covered in Part 3 of the Regulations (requirements for advertising medicines to the public).
The Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) describes a medicine in detail. It explains what the medicine is used for, how to take it, possible side effects, who should not use it, and any special precautions. You can find the approved SPC for each medicine in our list of authorised medicines.