Pharmaceutical labels and other official channels will continue to be the only places where drugmakers can supply information to the public after a European Union (EU) ruling.
It had been suggested that legislation may be relaxed to give manufacturers more licence, but this has now been revealed not to be the case.
Rather, restrictions on public communication will be tightened, ruling out the possibility of prescription drugs being promoted on websites and in health-related print media.
The only places where medication information will be available is on pharma labels and on packaging, as well as within publication of official clinical trials.
However, the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations told Reuters it is unhappy with the EU's decision.
"Citizens seeking information on their disease or therapy should be able to access it in both user-friendly formats and in their own language," a source said.
Last month, a study at the VA Medical Centre in the US found many consumers are confused by the information on pharma labels about drug trials.
Denny Bros Ltd, 13 October 2011
