Malaysia’s New Draft Code Aims For Ethical Marketing, Advertising

Malaysia’s Medical Device Authority is proposing new requirements for advertising and marketing medical devices in the country.

The MDA issued a draft code earlier this month covering materials for a range of marketing vehicles, including billboards, talk shows, direct mail materials and aerial promotion on hot air balloons.

Each ad must contain the manufacturer’s name and contact number, the establishment’s license number, as well as the device’s name and registration number.

Ads also must contain information that is “reliable, accurate, truthful, informative, fair, objective, unambiguous, balanced, up-to-date and be capable of substantiation.”

The draft code also spells out requirements covering endorsements by celebrities and healthcare professionals, user testimonials, comparative advertising and other promotional activities.

Further, companies are allowed to issue press releases to announce product launches.

But the use of brand names should be kept to a minimum, and the tone and content should be factual and not sensationalized.

The draft code does not regulate pricing, commercial practices or non-promotional information.

Read the Code of Advertisement for Medical Devices here: www.fdanews.com/03-22-16-MDACode.pdf. — Jonathon Shacat