Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration will impose heavier sanctions for violations of its regulations on drug advertising, but the agency also will phase out its requirement that certain drug advertisements be pre-approved in favor of a more self-regulated rule.

The current pre-approval system will remain in place through July 2020, with the TGA using the next two years as a transition period to ensure advertisers have access to the information they need for compliance.

The TGA’s rule requiring advertisers to secure prior approval before referencing serious diseases will remain in place even after the pre-approval requirement is phased out.