"Free" callout for vaccine product
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Hi. Would there be any concerns with inclusion of a claim that references a vaccine product being publicly funded in a branded DTC APS, in terms of language along the lines of: “Now available free of charge in some provinces. Speak to your doctor to see if X is covered for you.” or “Now Publicly Available in Canada. Speak to your doctor to see if X is covered in your province.”
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Hi. Would there be any concerns with inclusion of a claim that references a vaccine product being publicly funded in a branded DTC APS, in terms of language along the lines of: “Now available free of charge in some provinces. Speak to your doctor to see if X is covered for you.” or “Now Publicly Available in Canada. Speak to your doctor to see if X is covered in your province.”
Hi @karen-taylor,
A claim that references a vaccine product being publicly funded in a branded DTC APS can be considered. While claims would be assessed in the formal review of the piece, please note that “… free of charge …” may be potentially misleading. While it may not directly cost the patient any money, the vaccine would be paid for by the government (i.e. societal costs). Alternatively, claims such as “…may be publicly funded in your province. Speak to your doctor to see…” can be considered if it is accurate. Regarding the second example “… publicly available in Canada”, if certain provinces/territories do not cover the vaccine, then it would be misleading to state that it is publicly available in Canada overall. Please see the Food and Drugs regulations for DTC advertising and also ensure that this type of DTC-advertising is not linked to any DTC-information pieces (please see Q&A 716).
