{"id":521,"date":"2026-08-31T18:14:55","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T16:14:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pqra.gr\/advertising-and-promotion-of-medicines-in-greece-what-eof-actually-requires\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T18:15:02","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T16:15:02","slug":"advertising-and-promotion-of-medicines-in-greece-what-eof-actually-requires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pqra.gr\/el\/advertising-and-promotion-of-medicines-in-greece-what-eof-actually-requires\/","title":{"rendered":"Advertising and Promotion of Medicines in Greece: What EOF Actually Requires"},"content":{"rendered":"

Greece does not pre-approve your promotional material \u2014 but it does require you to file it, it bans advertising reimbursed medicines to the public, and it puts scientific events under a prior-approval regime with numerical caps that catch most companies out at least once.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

The EU baseline<\/h2>\n\n

Title VIII of Directive 2001\/83\/EC, Articles 86 to 100, sets the framework. Article 86(1) defines advertising broadly \u2014 any information, canvassing or inducement designed to promote prescription, supply, sale or consumption \u2014 and expressly includes sales representative visits, samples, and the sponsorship of promotional meetings and scientific congresses, including travel and accommodation. Article 86(2) carves out labelling and leaflets, correspondence answering a specific question, factual announcements and trade catalogues without product claims, and information about health or disease with no reference, even indirect, to a medicine.<\/p>\n\n

The core prohibitions: no advertising of an unauthorised product, and all advertising must comply with the SmPC (Article 87); no advertising of prescription-only medicines to the public (Article 88); no gifts or benefits to prescribers unless inexpensive and relevant to the practice of medicine or pharmacy, with hospitality strictly limited to the main purpose of the event (Article 94); free samples only on an exceptional basis, against a signed and dated written request, limited in number, no larger than the smallest presentation, marked as a free sample and accompanied by the SmPC (Article 96).<\/p>\n\n

Where Greece goes further<\/h2>\n\n

Greece transposes these rules at Articles 118 to 132 of Ministerial Decision \u0394.\u03a5\u03933\u03b1\/\u0393.\u03a0. 32221\/2013. Article 120 exercises the option in Article 88(3) of the Directive: alongside prescription-only medicines and products containing psychotropic or narcotic substances, Greece also prohibits advertising to the public of medicines reimbursed by the social security funds<\/strong>. That is a materially wider ban than the EU minimum, and it is the provision most often missed by teams importing a pan-European campaign.<\/p>\n\n

Article 130(2) is the filing obligation. The holder must notify EOF of a copy of every advertisement it runs, accompanied by a note stating the recipients, the method of transmission or circulation, and the date of first use. Article 130(1) requires an in-house scientific service; Article 130(3) additionally requires co-promotion arrangements to be notified to EOF, with the holder remaining liable.<\/p>\n\n

Filing, not pre-approval<\/h2>\n\n

This distinction matters commercially. There is no general prior-approval requirement for promotional material in the Greek framework. EOF operates a notification and deposit system with ex-post supervision: material is submitted to EOF’s circulation control department using its prescribed forms \u2014 separate forms for material addressed to healthcare professionals and to the public \u2014 sent by email to the EOF protocol address. Article 129 requires EOF to maintain effective means of controlling advertising and allows it to act against misleading advertising either preventively or after the fact, even without proof of actual loss.<\/p>\n\n

The one advertising activity that is<\/em> subject to prior authorisation is a vaccination campaign run by industry, which must be approved by EOF.<\/p>\n\n

Scientific events: prior approval, with caps<\/h2>\n\n

Scientific events are a separate regime, governed by EOF Circular 45560 of 16 April 2025, in force from 1 May 2025, which replaced the previous circulars and rests on Article 31 of Law 1316\/1983. Approval is required in advance, and the circular sets hard numbers:<\/p>\n\n