Television advertising for OTC medicines in Poland

OTC status alone does not establish public-advertising eligibility

Legal requirement — paraphrased

Check the exact medicine and brand. Public restrictions also cover controlled substances, reimbursed medicines and specified shared-name products, including OTC names identical to prescription medicines.

Sources: Pharmaceutical Law — consolidated text, Dz.U. 2026 item 612 · Article 57

First decide whether the message is medicine advertising

Legal requirement — paraphrased

Promotion intended to increase prescribing, supply, sale or consumption falls within the medicine-advertising regime. Unbranded disease education is excluded only if it makes no even indirect reference to medicines. Advertising must be conducted by, or commissioned by, the marketing-authorisation holder.

Sources: Pharmaceutical Law — consolidated text, Dz.U. 2026 item 612 · Articles 52 and 60

Use authorised, balanced medicine information

Legal requirement — paraphrased

Do not advertise unauthorised medicines or claims inconsistent with the SmPC. Public advertising cannot target children or use celebrity, scientist or medical/pharmacy-professional presentation or recommendations. No guaranteed cure, absence-of-side-effects or natural-means-safe claims; no purchasing rewards.

Sources: Pharmaceutical Law — consolidated text, Dz.U. 2026 item 612; GIF — Advertising medicinal products · Articles 53, 55–57

Build required product information into the advertisement

Legal requirement — paraphrased

Include the medicine name, common active-substance name, strength (subject to combination-product exceptions), pharmaceutical form, indication and marketing-authorisation holder, consistent with the SmPC. Details must be readable or clearly audible.

Sources: Medicine advertising regulation — consolidated text, Dz.U. 2023 item 1648 · Section 6

Use the current statutory warning and rotate variants

Legal requirement — paraphrased

Use one of the three Polish warning variants in sections 7–9 of the advertising regulation. Successive newly developed advertisements for the same medicine must change the previous variant and use all variants. Do not reuse the old pre-2023 warning from GIF's general overview.

Sources: Medicine advertising regulation — consolidated text, Dz.U. 2023 item 1648 · Sections 7–9

Apply medicine warnings according to the creative format

Legal requirement — paraphrased

Audiovisual: bottom warning area at least 20%, clearly read in Polish and displayed for at least eight seconds. Audio: clearly read in Polish for at least eight seconds. Visual: bottom area at least 10%; first page for multipage material. Apply the regulation's contrast, static horizontal text and spacing requirements.

Sources: Medicine advertising regulation — consolidated text, Dz.U. 2023 item 1648 · Sections 7(2), 8(2), 9(2)–(3)

Add the separate traditional-herbal information where applicable

Legal requirement — paraphrased

Applies when: The product is a traditional herbal medicinal product within Pharmaceutical Law Article 20a(1).

Section 4 requires additional information explaining that the indications of a traditional herbal medicine rest exclusively on long-standing use. This is additional product information, not a replacement for the public medicine warning. Apply it only to the statutory traditional-herbal category.

Sources: Medicine advertising regulation — consolidated text, Dz.U. 2023 item 1648 · Advertising regulation section 4

Make the overall message truthful and commercially identifiable

Legal requirement — paraphrased

Misleading claims, material omissions, hidden commercial intent and aggressive consumer marketing are prohibited. Assess visuals, comparisons, qualifications and the impression on vulnerable consumers. Do not falsely claim that a product cures illness.

Editorial control: retain substantiation before publication, remove fabricated urgency or authority badges, and check that qualifications do not contradict the headline. Paying to publish apparently independent advice must not conceal its commercial nature.

Sources: Act on Counteracting Unfair Market Practices — consolidated text, Dz.U. 2023 item 845 · Articles 4–9; Article 7 hidden advertising and false cure claims

Check price reductions only after establishing that promotion is lawful

Legal requirement — paraphrased

Where an advertisement announces a reduction for a good or service, state the relevant lowest price from the preceding 30 days alongside the reduced price. For a shorter selling history, use the lowest price since sales began; special rules apply to rapidly perishable goods.

This consumer-information rule does not permit a discount or purchasing incentive prohibited by medicine or service rules. As an editorial check, make the total scope and extra charges clear.

Sources: UOKiK — Information about price reductions · Price Information Act Article 4 as explained by UOKiK

Keep reviews genuine and explain verification

Legal requirement — paraphrased

Do not publish, commission or distort false consumer recommendations. If making consumer reviews available, explain whether and how their origin is verified. Do not claim authentic-user verification without reasonable, proportionate checks.

Selecting a patient or customer story for advertising also requires checking the sector's claims and endorsement restrictions. A genuine testimonial can still contain an unlawful health claim.

Sources: UOKiK — False reviews? Stop!; Act on Counteracting Unfair Market Practices — consolidated text, Dz.U. 2023 item 845 · Unfair-practices Act Articles 6–7; UOKiK reviews guidance

Broadcast advertising adds separation, sponsorship and placement rules

Legal requirement — paraphrased

Commercial communications must be recognisable; hidden or subliminal advertising is prohibited. Advertising of healthcare services available exclusively on a doctor's referral is prohibited in the broadcasting regime. Product and provider restrictions apply in addition.

Sponsorship and product placement have separate conditions and cannot be used to bypass prohibited advertising. Have the broadcaster classify the execution and check the applicable restrictions, rather than treating a sponsorship ident as a normal ad slot.

Sources: Broadcasting Act — consolidated text, Dz.U. 2022 item 1722 · Articles 16, 16b–16c, 17 and 17a

Approve the television master with its warning panel

Editorial recommendation

For an otherwise lawful medicine/device advertisement, verify the sector-specific audiovisual warning area, Polish reading, duration, contrast and spacing on the broadcast master. Review presenters, clinical-looking costumes, outcomes and child appeal before recording.

As an editorial control, approve every cut-down and aspect ratio separately. A late-added warning does not repair an ineligible product, prohibited presenter or misleading script.

Sources: Medicine advertising regulation — consolidated text, Dz.U. 2023 item 1648; Medical-device advertising regulation — Dz.U. 2023 item 817; Pharmaceutical Law — consolidated text, Dz.U. 2026 item 612; Medical Devices Act — consolidated working text based on Dz.U. 2024 item 1620 · Audiovisual formats and public-presentation restrictions

Keep one campaign evidence and approval record

Editorial recommendation

Recommended workflow: record the exact offer and legal classification, advertiser, selected channel and creative formats; list permitted claims and evidence; review the Polish execution and destination; record sign-off, publication and corrections.

Keep the source date with the rule. Recheck legislation flagged as changing, especially pharmacy advertising. Preserve statutory archive periods where they apply; this suggested general workflow does not create a universal retention period.

Sources: URPL — Advertising medical devices; Sejm official API — Pharmacy advertising amendment, process 3002 · Specific retention and legislative-watch sources; workflow is editorial