ITC AMEND ADVERTISING RULES ON MEDICAL ADVICE

THE ITC have announced that they have revised the prohibition on the advertising of services offering to diagnose, prescribe or treat medical and health matters by correspondence.
The revised rule will allow licensees to accept advertising for services offering personalised advice on medical or health matters. Staff who provide such advice are subject to regulation by a statutory or recognised medical or health professional body.
This revision follows a detailed consultation earlier this year with a wide range of interested parties including the medical profession.
The ITC say that they have sought to strike a careful balance between the different viewer interests at stake. Viewers have an interest both in reasonable access to information about services on offer and in protection from advertising content that is harmful in any way.
The ITC will exercise their discretion in determining which organisations fall within the definition of ‘recognised professional bodies’ and seek guidance from the Department of Health as appropriate.