The Pharmaceutical Advertising Advisory Board (PAAB) is a Canadian

not-for-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

based in Pickering, Ontario. Acting as a pseudo-regulatory body, PAAB offers review and pre-clearance services recognized by Health Canada to

pharmaceutical companies The pharmaceutical industry discovers, develops, produces, and markets drugs or pharmaceutical drugs for use as medications to be administered to patients (or self-administered), with the aim to cure them, vaccinate them, or alleviate symptoms. ...

and marketing agencies who wish to advertise directly to consumers and/or healthcare professionals. It is financed on a fee-for-service basis. It works collaboratively with Health Canada, with the federal agency represented as an ex-oficio member on PAAB's board of directors.

History

PAAB originated in 1976 through a collaboration between the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Association of Canada and the Canadian Medical Association. Within its first year, the organization had two staff members and had reviewed some 400 applications. As of July 1977, all advertisements printed in the

Canadian Medical Association Journal The ''Canadian Medical Association Journal'' (French ''Journal de l'Association Médicale Canadienne'') is a peer-reviewed general medical journal published by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA). It publishes original clinical research, anal ...

carried the PAAB seal of approval following an examination of their quality and accuracy. In 2004, PAAB's Patient Material Code was revised to include materials provided to patients by healthcare providers as well as adding regulations to standardize advertising over the internet. As of 2015, PAAB reported completing over 7,000 "first reviews" annually.

Activities

Advertising materials for all health products in Canada that are intended for healthcare professionals are submitted for review and pre-clearance by PAAB, who prescribes the guidelines for direct marketing to this group. Educational materials and other messaging directed towards consumers on prescription drugs and the medical conditions they treat are reviewed by PAAB and

Advertising Standards Canada Ad Standards (formerly Advertising Standards Canada) is the advertising industry's non-profit self-regulating body created in 1957 to ensure the integrity and viability of advertising in Canada. The organization's members include major advertise ...

to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. While these reviews are not mandatory, PAAB is obligated to forward all safety-related complaints to Health Canada.

Organization

Governance

Board of directors

PAAB is governed by a board of 12 members, including representation from industry associations

Innovative Medicines Canada Innovative Medicines Canada (IMC) is a national association of pharmaceutical companies that represents the interests of the research-based pharmaceutical industry in Canada. Its membership includes biopharmaceutical companies, vaccine developers, ...

, BIOTECanada, Association of Medical Advertising Agencies, Canadian Association of Medical Publisher and Consumer Health Products Canada. * Lorenzo Biondi (Chair) * Kristin Willemsen - Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada (Vice-chair) * Jim Hall - Canadian Association of Medical Publishers (Treasurer) * Dr. Cecile Bensimon - Canadian Medical Association * Jeff Connell - Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association * Anita Hammer - BIOTECanada * Sean McNamara - Canadian Dental Association * Denis Morrice - Best Medicines Coalition * Christine O'Reilly - Canadian Healthcare Communications Providers * Tammy Quinn -

Canadian Pharmacists Association The Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA), previously known as the Canadian Pharmaceutical Association, is an organization that serves as the professional association of Canadian pharmacists and pharmacy students. It was founded in 1907 in Toront ...

* Agni Shah - Consumers Council of Canada * Crawford Wright -

Notable former members of the board include Susan Eng, former Chair of the Canadian Association of Retired Persons.

Clients

Clients of PAAB include

and

advertising agencies An advertising agency, often referred to as a creative agency or an ad agency, is a business dedicated to creating, planning, and handling advertising and sometimes other forms of promotion and marketing for its clients. An ad agency is generally ...

working on behalf of pharmaceutical interests. {{columns-list, colwidth=15em, * 3M * Abbott Laboratories *

AbbVie AbbVie is an American publicly traded biopharmaceutical company founded in 2013. It originated as a spin-off of Abbott Laboratories. History On October 19, 2011, Abbott Laboratories announced its plan to separate into two publicly traded compani ...

Acadia Healthcare Acadia Healthcare is an American provider of behavioral healthcare services. It operates a network of over 225 facilities across the United States and Puerto Rico. Overview The company was founded in January 2005, and is headquartered in Frank ...

Actavis Actavis Generics (formerly known as Watson Pharmaceuticals and Actavis plc, prior to the acquisition of Irish-based Allergan Inc) is a global pharmaceutical company focused on acquiring, developing, manufacturing and marketing branded pharmaceuti ...

* Actelion * Alcon *

Allergan Allergan plc is an American, Irish-domiciled pharmaceutical company that acquires, develops, manufactures and markets brand name drugs and medical devices in the areas of medical aesthetics, eye care, central nervous system, and gastroenterology. ...

Amgen Amgen Inc. (formerly Applied Molecular Genetics Inc.) is an American multinational biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California. One of the world's largest independent biotechnology companies, Amgen was established in T ...

* Antibody Healthcare Communications *

Apotex Apotex Inc. is a Canadian pharmaceutical corporation. Founded in 1974 by Barry Sherman, the company is the largest producer of generic drugs in Canada, with annual sales exceeding . By 2016, Apotex employed over 10,000 people as one of Canada's ...

Aspen Pharmacare Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited is a public multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Durban, South Africa. Founded in 1997, it listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) in 1998 and purchased South African Druggists in 199 ...

AstraZeneca AstraZeneca plc () is a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with its headquarters at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in Cambridge, England. It has a portfolio of products for major diseases in areas includi ...

* Bausch Health * Baxalta * Baxter International * Bayer *

Biogen Biogen Inc. is an American multinational biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, specializing in the discovery, development, and delivery of therapies for the treatment of neurological diseases to patients worldwide. History ...

* Boehringer Ingelheim *

Boiron Boiron () is a manufacturer of homeopathic products, headquartered in France and with an operating presence in 59 countries worldwide. It is the largest manufacturer of homeopathic products in the world. In 2004, it employed a workforce of 2,779 a ...

* Bristol Myers Squibb *

Celgene Celgene Corporation is a pharmaceutical company that makes cancer and immunology drugs. Its major product is Revlimid ( lenalidomide), which is used in the treatment of multiple myeloma, and also in certain anemias. The company is incorporated i ...

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Dr. Reddy's Laboratories is an Indian multinational pharmaceutical company based in Hyderabad. The company was founded by Kallam Anji Reddy, who previously worked in the mentor institute Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited. Dr. Reddy's ...

* Eli Lilly and Company * EMD Serono *

Emergent BioSolutions Emergent BioSolutions Inc. is an American multinational specialty biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland. It develops vaccines and antibody therapeutics for infectious diseases and opioid overdoses, and it provides m ...

* Environics * FCB Health Canada *

Ferring Pharmaceuticals Ferring Pharmaceuticals is a Swiss multinational biopharmaceutical company specialising in areas such as reproductive health, maternal health, gastroenterology and urology. Ferring has been developing treatments for mothers and babies for over 50 ...

FleishmanHillard FleishmanHillard Inc. (formerly, Fleishman–Hillard) is a public relations and marketing agency founded and based in St. Louis, Missouri. It was acquired by Omnicom Group in 1997, becoming part of the Diversified Agency Services (DAS) division. ...

Fresenius Kabi Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA is a health care company based in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany. It provides products and services for dialysis, in hospitals and inpatient and outpatient medical care. It is involved in hospital management and in ...

* Galderma *

GE Healthcare GE HealthCare is a subsidiary of American multinational conglomerate General Electric incorporated in New York and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. As of 2017, it is a manufacturer and distributor of diagnostic imaging agents and radiopharma ...

Gilead Sciences Gilead Sciences, Inc. () is an American biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Foster City, California, that focuses on researching and developing antiviral drugs used in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, influenza, and C ...

* GlaxoSmithKline *

Hill+Knowlton Strategies Hill+Knowlton Strategies is an American global public relations consulting company, headquartered in New York City, United States, with over 80 offices in more than 40 countries. The company was founded in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1927 by John W. Hill ...

* Indegene *

Indivior Indivior is a specialty pharmaceuticals business. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History The company was established as the Buprenorphine division of Reckitt Benckiser in 1994. In December 20 ...

IQVIA IQVIA, formerly Quintiles and IMS Health, Inc., is an American multinational company serving the combined industries of health information technology and clinical research. IQVIA is a provider of biopharmaceutical development and commercial outs ...

* Janssen * Johnson & Johnson * Knight Therapeutics *

Kyowa Kirin is a Japanese pharmaceutical and biotechnology company under the Kirin Holdings, and is among the 40 largest in the world by revenue. The company is headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo and is a member of the Nikkei 225 stock index. History On ...

Leo Pharma LEO Pharma A/S is a multinational Danish pharmaceutical company, founded in 1908, with a presence in about 100 countries. Its headquarters are in Ballerup, near Copenhagen The company is 100% integrated into a private foundation owned by the LEO F ...

Lundbeck H. Lundbeck A/S (commonly known simply as Lundbeck) is a Danish international pharmaceutical company engaged in the research, development, manufacturing, marketing and sale of pharmaceuticals across the world. The company’s products are targe ...

* Lupin Pharmaceutical * McCann * McKesson Corporation *

McNeil Consumer Healthcare McNeil Consumer Healthcare is an American medicals products company belonging to the Johnson & Johnson healthcare products group. It primarily sells fast-moving consumer goods such as over-the-counter drugs. History The company was founded on ...

Mead Johnson Mead Johnson & Company, LLC is an American company that is a leading manufacturer of infant formula, both domestically and globally, with its flagship product Enfamil. It operates as an independent subsidiary of Reckitt. The company dates back ...

* Meda Pharmaceuticals * Medikidz * Merck *

Merz Pharma Merz Pharma GmbH & Co. KGaA is a privately-held pharmaceutical company based in Frankfurt, Germany with affiliates across Europe, as well as the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Asia Pacific and regional headquarters in Singapore and North Carolina ...

* Mylan Pharmaceuticals *

Novartis Novartis AG is a Swiss-American multinational pharmaceutical corporation based in Basel, Switzerland and Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (global research).name="novartis.com">https://www.novartis.com/research-development/research-loc ...

Novo Nordisk Novo Nordisk A/S is a Danish multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Bagsværd, Denmark, with production facilities in nine countries, and affiliates or offices in five countries. Novo Nordisk is controlled by majority shareholder ...

* Octapharma *

Otsuka Pharmaceutical (), abbreviated OPC, is a pharmaceutical company headquartered in Tokyo, Osaka and Naruto, Japan. The company was established August 10, 1964. History OPC's parent company Otsuka Holdings Co. Ltd. joined the Tokyo Stock Exchange through an ini ...

Paladin Labs Knight Therapeutics Inc. is a Canadian public specialty pharmaceutical company based in Montreal, Quebec that focuses on acquiring or in-licensing innovative pharmaceutical products for the Canadian and select international markets. It is listed on ...

Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered on 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York City. The company was established in 1849 in New York by two German entrepreneurs, Charles Pfizer ...

* Pierre Fabre Group *

Publicis Publicis Groupe is a French multinational advertising and public relations company. One of the oldest and largest marketing and communications companies in the world by revenue, it is headquartered in Paris. After 1945, the little-known Paris ...

Purdue Pharma Purdue Pharma L.P., formerly the Purdue Frederick Company, is an American privately held pharmaceutical company founded by John Purdue Gray. It was owned principally by members of the Sackler family as descendants of Mortimer and Raymond Sackl ...

Roche F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, commonly known as Roche, is a Swiss multinational healthcare company that operates worldwide under two divisions: Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics. Its holding company, Roche Holding AG, has shares listed on the SIX ...

Sandoz Novartis AG is a Swiss-American multinational pharmaceutical corporation based in Basel, Switzerland and Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (global research).name="novartis.com">https://www.novartis.com/research-development/research-loca ...

Sanofi Aventis Sanofi S.A. is a French multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company headquartered in Paris, France. Originally, the corporation was established in 1973 and merged with Synthélabo in 1999 to form Sanofi-Synthélabo. In 2004, Sanofi-Syn ...

Sanofi Pasteur Sanofi Pasteur is the vaccines division of the French multinational pharmaceutical company Sanofi. Sanofi Pasteur is the largest company in the world devoted entirely to vaccines. It is one of four global producers of the yellow fever vaccine. ...

Seagen SeaGen was the world's first large scale commercial tidal stream generator. It was four times more powerful than any other tidal stream generator in the world at the time of installation. It was successfully decommissioned by SIMEC Atlant ...

Servier Servier Laboratories (French: Laboratoires Servier, often abbreviated to Servier) is an international pharmaceutical company governed by a non-profit foundation, with its headquarters in France (Suresnes). The consolidated turnover for the 2018 ...

* Shire * Sobi *

Stallergenes Greer Stallergenes Greer International AG is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Baar, Switzerland, specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory allergies through immunotherapy. Stallergenes Greer International AG is the ...

* Sunovion *

Syneos Health Syneos Health (formerly InVentiv Health Incorporated and INC Research) is a NASDAQ listed American multinational contract research organization based in Morrisville, North Carolina Morrisville is a town located primarily in Wake County, North Ca ...

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company The is a Japanese multinational pharmaceutical company, with partial American and British roots. It is the largest pharmaceutical company in Asia and one of the top 20 largest pharmaceutical companies in the world by revenue (top 10 followin ...

* TBWA Worldwide *

Teva Pharmaceuticals Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (also known as Teva Pharmaceuticals) is an Israeli multinational pharmaceutical company with headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel. It specializes primarily in generic drugs, but other business interests include ...

* UCB * Valneva *

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Vertex Pharmaceuticals is an American biopharmaceutical company based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was one of the first biotech firms to use an explicit strategy of rational drug design rather than combinatorial chemistry. It maintains headqu ...

ViiV Healthcare ViiV Healthcare ( ) is a pharmaceutical company specializing in the development of therapies for HIV infection that was created as a joint venture by Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline in November 2009 with both companies transferring their HIV assets ...

* Weber Shandwick

References

Non-profit organizations based in Canada