Apply In-Person:

1. To make an application for approval to advertise drugs in the mass media the applicant has to make an application to the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB). This can be done by approaching the Pharmacy and Poisons Board Offices to make an application.
2. Here the applicant will be given an Application for Authorization of Proposed Advertisement or Promotion-Form MI 001 by the boards licensing officer to fill and submit.
3. The application is to be filled and signed by the by the Superintending Pharmacist / Pharmacist in Charge of the company
4. Fill in the application and attach the required documents for the application. A list of the required documents can be found under the Required Documents" section of this page.
5. Proceed to pay the required application fees and attach the payment receipt to the application document. The application fees to be paid can be found under the "Fees" section of this page.
6. Submit the completed application form, requirements and payment receipt to the Boards officer for inspections, verifications and approval.
7. The board will review the application regarding any areas of noncompliance with the application requirements which the applicant is required to address.
8. After inspections and verifications, recommendations will be sent to the licensing officer for further review/action.
9. Upon successful review and approval of the application, the PPB will communicate in writing to the applicant informing them to collect their approval for the advertisement.
10. A reference number will be quoted for each approval. The applicant is required to quote this reference number whenever any correspondence is made regarding that advertisement or promotion.
11. The whole process usually takes 30 days to complete.

• A formal application letter by the Superintending Pharmacist / Pharmacist in Charge of the company, as registered with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, addressed to “The Registrar, Pharmacy and Poisons Board” detailing the proposed advertisement to be carried out.
• Proof of up-to-date registration of the company that wishes to advertise with the PPB.
• Proof of up-to-date registration of the product to be advertised with the PPB.
• A receipt of the prescribed fee per proposed advertisement, per medium of advertisement, per product advertised towards application. (paid at our Accounts Office)
• Copy of updated ‘annual practice license’ of the Superintending Pharmacist / Pharmacist in Charge of the company.
• List of active ingredients (contents) in the medicine to be advertised.
• If the advertisement is to be:
  • Aired on television, in addition to the above:
    • A detailed story board of the proposed advertisement or one CD copy of the final advertisement proposed to be aired.
    • Six printed scripts of the messages that will be viewed on TV.
  • Aired on radio, in addition to the above:
    • One CD copy of the proposed advertisement.
    • Six printed scripts of the messages heard.
  • Published in the print media, in addition to the above:
    • Six printed scripts of the final proposed advertisement.

Note:

• All CDs submitted should be CD-R discs.
• Documents such as video clips should be viewable via Windows Media Player compatible with Windows 2000 version and thereafter.
• Story boards and scripts are viewed by PPB in preparation of the final advertisement.
• The final prepared advertisement will be required to be submitted and necessary approval obtained prior to airing or printing in the respective media.
• At no times will approval of the story boards or scripts serve as a substitute to the approval of the final proposed advertisement. Current work permit for non-Kenyans

Pharmacy & Poisons Board (PPB) - Head Office
P.O. Box 27663 – 00506, Nairobi.
Address: Lenana Road Opp. DOD
Reception: +254 709 770 100
General Enquiries +254 709 770 100
General Enquiries:enquiries@pharmacyboardkenya.org
Pharmacy Questions:info@pharmacyboardkenya.org
Report a Medicine Problem:pv@pharmacyboardkenya.org
About this website:webmaster@pharmacyboardkenya.org
Pharmacy and Poisons Board Contacts
Pharmacy and Poisons Board Website

• Individuals wishing to advertise drugs in Kenya are eligible to make the application.

• Advertisement fee per product is Ksh. 5,000

• All approved advertisements are valid for one year from date of approval apart from calendars and diaries whose expiries shall be 31st December of the year of granting approval.

• A sample of the Application for Authorization of Proposed Advertisement or Promotion form MI 001 is found on page 29 to 30 of the following document: link.

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

• Once an application has been accepted and evaluation fees paid the processing of application will take a maximum of 30 working days.

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications.
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type="website">video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the "&" inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver,
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M" Video ID is "Y0US7oR_t3M".

• Applications for the advertisement of any drug or poison shall be made to the Board in the prescribed form and shall be accompanied by the prescribed fee.

Conditions for drug advertising.

• No person shall advertise any medicine except with the written permission of the Pharmacy and Poisons Board.
• No product shall be promoted unless it is registered by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board.
• Advertisements should be accurate, factual up-to-date, reliable, truthful, informative, balanced, and capable of substantiation and in good faith.
• All packaging and labelling materials shall provide information which is consistent with that approved during the registration of the product.
• Bonus offers and discounts offered directly to the public are not permissible.
• Claims of superiority over other brands will not be permitted.
• Once an advert has been approved, no changes however small can be made to it without approval of the Board.
• Companies must provide evidence of acceptance to use some information on their adverts e.g music clips from tracks by artists.
• Adverts should clearly inform the public about the risks associated with the use of the product e.g Use of aspirin containing products may lead to peptic ulcer diseases.

• Name of applicant
• PPB registration number
• Name of company pharmacist
• Reg no of company pharmacist
• Name of proposed advert/promotion
• Proposed medium of promotion: (Television/ radio/ print media/ Other (provide details)
• Type of document submitted: (final proposed advertisement / promotion/story board / script for review/other (provide details))
• Name of product to be/Advertised/Ppb registration Number/Active ingredient(s)
• Payment details
• Cheque number
• Date of payment
• Ppb receipt number
• Signature of superintendent pharmacist

• Holders of this permit are allowed to advertise drugs for in Kenya.
• No person shall advertise any drug or poison except with the written permission of the Board.

• “Advertisement” includes a notice, circular, label wrapper or other document, and any announcement made orally or by means of producing or transmitting light or sound.
• No person shall take any part in the publications of any advertisement referring to a drug, medicine, medical appliance or similar article in terms which in the opinion of the Board are considered to be extravagant and to bear little or no relation to the pharmacological properties and action of the ingredients or components thereof.
• Adverts Withdrawal: In the event a medicine is ordered to be withdrawn from the market in Kenya, it shall remain the responsibility of the market authorisation holders and their locally appointed agents to ensure that any advertisement pertaining to that said product is also terminated and withdrawn from all media with immediate effect.

PURPOSES FOR WHICH DRUGS, ETC., MAY NOT BE ADVERTISED

• The cure of syphilis, gonorrhoea or soft chancre in any of their forms.
• The prevention, relief or cure of Bright’s disease, schistosomiasis, cancer, consumption or tuberculosis, leprosy, lupus, diabetes, epilepsy or fits, locomotorataxy, paralysis, or infantile paralysis.
• The cure of arterio-sclerosis, septicaemia, diphtheria, dropsy, erysipelas, gallstones, kidney stones and bladder stones, goitre, heart disease, tetanus or lockjaw, pleurisy, pneumonia, scarlet-fever, smallpox, trachoma, amenorrhoea, hernia or rupture, blindness, or any structural or organic ailment of the auditory system.
• The cure of any habit associated with sexual indulgence, or of any ailment associated with those habits; or the restoration or stimulation of the sexual functions.

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

• PHARMACY AND POISONS ACT
• Guidelines for advertisement and promotion of Medicines and Medical Devices in Kenya

• The Pharmacy and Poisons Board is the Drug Regulatory Authority established under the Pharmacy and Poisons Act, Chapter 244 of the Laws of Kenya.
• The Board regulates the Practice of Pharmacy and the Manufacture and Trade in drugs and poisons.
• The Board aims to implement the appropriate regulatory measures to achieve the highest standards of safety, efficacy and quality for all drugs, chemical substances and medical devices, locally manufactured, imported, exported, distributed, sold, or used, to ensure the protection of the consumer as envisaged by the laws regulating drugs in force in Kenya.