In the EU, direct to consumer promotion of prescription only medicines (POMs) is prohibited. Following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the reach of social media, pharmaceutical companies have been increasingly trying to find ways to use their social and digital platforms in a compliant way with very little guidance available to them both at a national and EU level.

The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) and the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) therefore have published a Guidance on social media and digital channels to assist pharmaceutical companies with their use of social media. The Guidance aims to set out the areas that companies should consider when communicating on social media and other digital channels, and builds on existing guidance, including the Principles for the use of digital channels of the EFPIA Code of Practice.

The Guidance identifies the most used social media and digital channels and describes what pharmaceutical companies should be aware of when communicating with the general public, medical personal, and/or other stakeholders.