Can a pharmaceutical company provide notepads, pens and pencils with clinical trial materials? If so, can they bear the name of the trial as well as, or instead of, the company?

  • 18.3

    18.3 Health professionals and other relevant decision makers attending company organised scientific meetings and conferences, promotional meetings and the like may be provided with inexpensive notebooks, pens and pencils for use at those meetings. They must not bear the name of any medicine or any information about medicines but may bear the name of the company providing them. If pens and pads are provided in conference bags at third party organised meetings then these must not include the names of the donor companies, the name of any medicine or any information about medicines.

Notepads, pens and pencils can be provided with clinical trial materials. They should not be provided on an ad hoc basis. It could be argued that such materials are not promotional because they are not provided for a promotional purpose. They must not be provided by a representative.

Bearing in mind the spirit of the Code, it might be best to follow Clause 18.3. Thus the notebooks, pens and pencils should not bear the name of the trial but could bear the name of the company providing them. They should not bear the name of a medicine or any information about medicines. The total cost of the items provided to an individual recipient must not exceed £6, excluding VAT. The perceived value to the recipient must be similar.

Guidance
2021 Q&As by Topic OR Clause