Legal frame

Article 10 of the law of March 25, 1964 on Medicinal products (also applicable to medical devices) includes the general prohibition on offering or granting advantages or benefits of any kind or even pecuniary to healthcare professionals, either directly or indirectly, in the context of prescribing, issuing and supplying medicinal products or medical devices.

This prohibition comes from a European Directive which is already implemented in several member states (the Netherlands and France have also developed a prior visa procedure).

One exception in this regard is inviting healthcare professionals to a scientific meeting and covering their participation costs, including hospitality, provided that this event meets the cumulative conditions set out in Article 10.

That’s why from January 1^st, 2007 each producer or supplier of medicinal products or medical devices wishing to invite a healthcare professional to take part in a scientific event which takes place during several consecutive calendar days, is required to have a prior visa.

The visa procedure makes it possible to assess the program and whether the hospitality offered as part of a scientific event complies with the cumulative conditions set out in Article 10 of the law on medicinal products.

Code of Ethics

The visa procedure is based on the Mdeon Code of Ethics and applies the legal criteria described in article 10 of the Law on Medicines.

The Code of Ethics is presented in two columns. The column on the left contains the articles of the Code. The one on the right contains Practical Guidelines, our User’s Manuals and an article-by-article reference to the corresponding FAQs.