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MHRA issues dispensing price list web guidance

Information must be factual and balanced

Practices may list products and prices on their websites

By Ailsa Colquhoun

7th of October 2011

 

New MHRA website guidance has confirmed that dispensing practices may list dispensing products and prices on their websites, provided the service is aimed specifically at patients who already have a prescription, and no product claims are made beyond a simple disease category.

 

The new guidance  states that the home page may only give indicative prices for a particular medical condition, for example, "Erectile dysfunction treatment - £20 for a medical consultation, £50 for an initial course of four tablets."  A factual list of prices for available treatments and/or pack sizes may be provided on pages other than the home page. The price list/s should not include product claims or actively encourage viewers to choose a product based on the price and it should be clear that the viewer's preferred option will not be prescribed if it is not suitable. Decisions about treatment are for the prescriber and patient to jointly consider during consultation and are not based solely on the price.

 

In addition, the guidance specifies that special offers on prices should not be highlighted, as they are likely to promote a specific prescription only medicine.

 

 The guidance also clarifies accepted practice for dispensing services that are promoted in association with an online consultation service. To ensure websites do not promote POMs to the public, websites must:

  • provide a balanced overview of all treatment options and relevant disease information.
  • not refer to, or link to specific POMs
  • make clear that the customer is being offered a medical consultation and that this may or may not lead to the provision of a prescription.
  • include only balanced and factual information about medicines, for example "XXX is used to treat ..." rather than "XXX is the best/fastest/strongest/etc."

 

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