The Egyptian legislature passed a new law to regulate the advertising of health products and services No. 206 of 2017, which specifically includes the definition of advertising healthcare products and services and the procedures to be taken to advertise healthcare products and services.
Definition of promotion of healthcare products and services:
The legislator widely defined health-care goods in (Article 1) of Law No. 206 of 2017, which includes all products, raw materials, cosmetics or medical goods regardless of form, component or substance, including packaging. The legislator explained a definition of promotion as publishing information or data about a health product or activity, whether directly or indirectly, using any method of broadcasting video, audio or electronic.
Who is the High Commission?
The Prime Minister has given the High Commission the power to grant a license to a company that wants to promote its products or health care services within two weeks of the day of application. In order to ensure that the content of the declaration complies with the requirements of the relevant laws and executive regulations provided for in Law No. 208 of 2020 and does not violate public policy and ethics.
If any of the requirements are violated, the Committee will contact the Senior Media Advisor to stop advertising such a product or service.
Penalties:
The law specifies penalties for commercial activity that violates the requirements of the law and applies to the person who publishes or allows the publication of the advertisement without a license to be punishable by imprisonment for at least one month and the payment of a fine of at least 50,000 pounds and not more than 100,000 Egyptian pounds. No. 206 for 2017, the penalty is imprisonment for at least one month and a fine of at least 200,000 pounds and not more than 500,000 pounds.
In short, this law is enacted to protect consumers from any harm done to them by advertising health care products and services. Moreover, to secure the public policy and ethics of the Arab Republic of Egypt. The legislator then gave the authority to the High Committee for The Organization and Supervision of Business not to violate the law.
