What we do
PAGB provides a wide scope of services to support our members.
Our other significant role is representing the views of the industry at UK, European and international level, including to government, regulators, health professionals and the media.
Medicines are strictly regulated in the UK and we offer member companies advice on all aspects of the current regulations, guidance and legislation.
Services to members
Since PAGB was founded, the responsible advertising of medicines through self-regulation has remained a high priority. It is a condition of membership that all companies have their consumer advertising approved by PAGB before it can be published, through checking against the PAGB Advertising Codes.
We hold meetings and conferences on topical issues, as well keeping members informed of the latest developments affecting the industry through newsletters, mailings and briefings.
PAGB’s training is specifically designed to meet the needs of people working in the OTC industry and includes the Diploma in OTC Healthcare programme course and workshops on using the advertising codes.
Representing the industry
The regulatory and political environment for over-the-counter medicines and food supplements is constantly evolving. PAGB acts as the voice of the industry at meetings with stakeholders, when responding to consultations and at events and conferences.
We maintain close contacts with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and continue to collaborate on the award winning Better Regulation of Medicines Initiative (BROMI) to reduce unnecessary ‘red tape’ and regulatory burden for medicines. We also participate on committees such as CAP (Committee on Advertising Practice) that shape the self-regulation of advertising.
To highlight the benefits of increased self care and self-medication we regularly brief politicians, civil servants and party policy makers. We also build partnerships with medical, pharmacy, nursing, patient and consumer bodies to gain support and air issues of common interest.
Our input is always evidence-based and where necessary, we commission research to support our position. For example, we commissioned the first study to provide quantification of minor ailment workload in general practice.
We produce publications, including the OTC Directory which gives details of the products manufactured by members and is distributed to all GP surgeries in the UK. The online version is called Medicine Chest.
For the media, we provide the facts about over-the-counter medicines and respond on behalf of the industry to issues affecting particular OTC ingredients. PAGB’s Consumer Health Information Centre (CHIC) and Health Supplements Information Service (HSIS) also provide information and advice to consumers and the media.
