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PAAB Code

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81 Topics 189 Posts
The responses, guidance, and advisories provided by the Pharmaceutical Advertising Advisory Board (PAAB), including but not limited to those available through the PAAB Forum, the PAAB website, and any PAAB correspondences, are specifically intended to assist individuals navigating the PAAB preclearance system. Repurposing or reproducing this content without written consent from the PAAB Commissioner is strictly prohibited. This prohibition includes, but is not limited to, use in machine learning or AI models.
  • Consensus Guidelines

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    Hi @Jennifer-Carroll , thank you so much for confirming!
  • Clinical Guidelines

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    Jennifer CarrollJ
    A sale representative may leave a physician a full, unedited copy of a published, authoritative consensus guideline for a given condition. Please see the linked document on “What constitutes current medical opinion and practice?”. Depending on the nature of the visit, please also be reminded that distribution of material by a sales representative may constitute an act of advertising and should adhere to the advertising regulations, e.g. product specific guidelines on off label use would be a violation of the regulations.
  • Fair Balance required for email linking to clincial paper

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    Jennifer CarrollJ
    Good Morning @Jennifer_CM Linking out to an unedited acceptable reprint would not render the email subject to highest level fair balance. The level of fair balance would be assessed based on the content of the email body in combination with the linked content. Therefore, it’s likely that the level of fair balance could be lowest level if the body copy does not prompt middle or highest itself as per the PAAB Guidance on Base Fair Balance Level Selection and Placement (HCP Advertising).
  • Promotional activities on-line

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    Jennifer, thank you very much for your prompt answer. We will do that.
  • Prescription Pads/Tools

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    Jennifer CarrollJ
    Hey @GMC This copy would be reviewed in the context of the entirety of the piece. The context of the message “dispensed as written” will matter. See also the PAAB advisory on Advertising messages referring to "no sub".
  • Unbranded Patient and HCP APS

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    Jennifer CarrollJ
    Hi @caitlinbyrne When an APS has more than one audience, all regulations for each audience apply. The tool would be reviewed to ensure it meets patient and HCP regulations. Generally the patient regulations are more stringent so we recommend strongly considering them when creating the tool.
  • Placing PSP enrolment forms on patient websites

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    @jennifer-carroll Great, thank you!
  • Imagery

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    @jennifer-carroll said in Imagery: which exceeds name, price, and quantity, this copy should be blurred to prevent advertising to the general public. Thank you!
  • The use of secondary endpoints with nominal p-values

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    @jennifer-carroll Amazing, thank you so much!
  • Separation of patient consent information on a PSP form

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    @jennifer-carroll Thank you very much for the very comprehensive and helpful response!
  • Use of descriptive statistics

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    Jennifer CarrollJ
    Hey @cchristopoulos Descriptive statistics in an RWE do not preclude the use of the publication in an APS as long as they are pre-specified.
  • Retargeting and Digital Media (ads)

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    Jennifer CarrollJ
    Good Morning @alee What a great question. This one got us thinking. We see your point if the sponsor can confirm that the cookies are tied strictly to cellular phones, this would appear to be sufficiently targeted to HCPs. Tablets, ipads, and other such devices are much less likely to be tied in a 1:1 ratio with the user (HCP). There should also be explicit cookie approval by the HCP after they have been validated as an HCP. During the review, ALL targeting information would have to be provided. The standard practices for targeting should still be applied.
  • Guidance on Patient Reported Outcomes

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    Jennifer CarrollJ
    Hi @alee A non-inferiority test that results in a "statistically non-significant difference" is a form of statistical analysis and would be required to support such a conclusion, and it is not appropriate to conclude non-inferiority (or similarity) based on nonsignificant test result in a study designed only for superiority as noted in the Guidance Document for Claims Based on Non-Inferiority Trials. The appropriate interpretation of this observation is that the test product failed to achieve statistical significance for superiority (i.e. it would not be considered a “positive clinical outcome”), which does not support a claim of “similarity”. Please also note that all clinical claims must be pre-defined, directionally consistent with the primary endpoint (confirmed through statistical evidence), and similar to the description in the domains section, overall scores require statistical significance as per sections 3.4, 3.5 and 3.6 of the Guidance document for the Use of Patient Reported Outcomes in Advertising, respectively .
  • This topic is deleted!

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  • Use of actual patient images

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    Jennifer CarrollJ
    Hey @laraholmes All claims, whether implicit (e.g., conveyed through visuals) or explicit, must be supported within the piece. For "before and after" images, data must be provided to quantify the magnitude of the effect suggested by the visuals and should appear at or before the images. Additionally, the images must accurately reflect the data presented, rather than showcasing the best-case outcomes observed in the study.
  • NOCc and Guidance on Duration of Clinical Trials

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    Jennifer CarrollJ
    Hello @dmauri The guidance does not apply to NOC/c products and therefore has no bearing on data reviews for NOC/c products. The standard NOC/c approach remains the same (see Guidance on Advertising for Drugs with Notice of Compliance with Conditions (NOC/c)). If the data or study are presented within the TMA, we will allow it in the same context within promotional pieces. When assessing copy similar to “the results of the extension study were consistent with those of the earlier analysis”, clarity on which endpoints and the same tonality and direction will be required. Additional comments may arise pending review of the language used throughout the TMA.
  • Same Banner Ad, Different Journal

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    @jennifer-carroll Thank you kindly for the response
  • Email Attachments

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    Jennifer CarrollJ
    Hey @afpjjim The principle to consider is in the “Dissemination” section of the document referenced. The copy reads “If the intent is for the email template to be used across many brands (and therefore not contain fair balance), the document naming convention should not trigger the addition of fair balance. This means that it should not contain claims or copy that links the brand to therapeutic use.” If the brand name appears in the piece and there is a study name, this would create that link (see Attachment of clinical reprints in an RTE). During the submission process, you would define the naming convention as “Study acronym_study_safety_data” and convey that studies across multiple brands could be attached in the same email. The reviewer would assess if indication and fair balance are required.
  • Use of real MRI scans in APS

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    Jennifer CarrollJ
    Hey @NatBourre When images are presented they must be aligned with the indication. If they present an outcome, data to support this effect must be presented within the APS. A letter from medical/regulatory should be provided to confirm that the demonstrated effect in the image is aligned with/representative of the effect demonstrated in the trial (i.e. the average not the best-case scenario). It would not be acceptable to use the same images in both branded and unbranded advertising as when you link branded and unbranded, everything becomes branded. The images and their presentation in the unbranded pieces would have to be different.
  • Request for research responders within a branded APS

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    Jennifer CarrollJ
    Hi @natbourre There is the ability to link to an unbranded survey questionnaire. However, as it is linked to a branded patient APS, the questionnaire would be subject to the PAAB code. As a reminder, linking unbranded to branded renders everything branded, so please be mindful that unbranded materials should not contain content which would not be accepted in a branded context. In addition, depending on the questions and if the answers/results are not intended for internal use only, the subsequent distribution of the results to patients or HCPs may be subject to advertising regulations as well.