New advertising rules in Egypt to protect health consumers

A new committee has sole authority to supervise the content of any advertisement related to medical goods and services.

Law No. 206 of 2017, regulates the promotion of any healthcare goods and/or services. A new committee has sole authority to supervise the content of any advertisement related to medical goods and services.
Healthcare services are defined as any business for therapeutic or other medical purpose that is not selling healthcare goods. The law defines healthcare goods as any products, natural materials, cosmetics or medical goods that serve a therapeutic or any other medical purpose, regardless of form, component, or material including packaging manner or country of origin.
The law has a very wide definition of what can be considered a promotion of medical services, including written, auditory, visual, and electronic promotion.
The new committee will take over supervision of promotion from the Ministry of Health in 2018. The committee is tasked with granting licenses in relation to the promotion of health products or services, reviewing the content of all kinds of advertisements and ensuring their compliance to public order and morals, contacting the competent authorities to cease publishing or broadcasting unapproved marketing material, and monitoring and ensuring that the health products and services meet their legal requirements.

Severe sanctions shall be applied to persons publishing or allowing publishing of any advertisement of any health products or services without obtaining the required licensing. Such persons may be subject to:

• The confiscation of the medical products, gained profits and any materials
• Imprisonment of a period of not less than one month and/or payment of a fine of not less than EGP 50,000 and not exceeding EGP 100,000

In the event that such advertised health product or service causes the death or permanent disability of a consumer, the sanction shall be the imprisonment for a period not less than one month and a fine of not less than EGP 200,000 and not exceeding EGP 500,000.