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Fee Schedule

About PAAB

The Pharmaceutical Advertising Advisory Board (PAAB) is an independent not-for-profit organization funded on a fee-for-service model. It is the only regulator whose preclearance service is recognized by Health Canada for advertising directed to healthcare professionals. PAAB works to protect Canadians by ensuring that healthcare product advertising meets the regulatory, scientific, therapeutic, and ethical standards outlined in the Code of Advertising Acceptance. All PAAB approved materials bear the PAAB logo.

Base fees for PAAB reviews

The fee calculator on the PAAB website can also help you anticipate how any relevant combination of submission properties / attributes can impact the review cost.

Speech BubbleComing soon: Messenger features piloting in ARO submissions. Additional fee $125. More details to come.

a)   Preclearance reviews based on the PAAB Code (directed to HCP/Patient)

Fees as of April 1st 2024

table A 2024

Please either speak with a PAAB file coordinator or send an email to review@paab.ca if considering ARO-2 for an APS that does not meet BOTH of the following criteria (to ensure that we can deliver the first response within 2 business days):

  • 10 or less pages of new content
  • 5 or fewer references requiring detailed assessment:

As a general guide, a “detailed assessment” entails needing to read the entire reference to determine its validity (e.g., clinical trials, surveys) and/or to ensure that the promoted elements are not overly selective. Factors that typically determine whether a detailed assessment will be required include whether the reference has been used for similar claims in prior PAAB approved materials, and the nature of the reference (e.g., new studies & surveys generally require a detailed assessment). Additional information will be provided in the upcoming version of the Submission Guide.

 b)   Direct to Consumer Advertising or Information (DTCA/I) reviews

Fees as of April 1st 2024

Table B 2024

 c)   Assessment of Risk Management Tools (HCP/Patient)

Fees as of April 1st 2024

Table C 2024

See the guidance document on Risk Management Tools

 d)   Request for Written Opinion

Fees as of April 1st 2024

Table D 2024

e.g., assessment of creative, assessment of a single clinical trial and corresponding claims, assessment of a novel approach/media/platform, determination of whether a piece is advertising or information, and so on

See the following relevant advisories:

Starting in 2023, all PAAB fees will be adjusted annually by the prior year’s change in cost of living. These adjustments will impact all files submitted as of the first working day of each year. All fees are exclusive of HST.

Fees are invoiced after the first review letter has been sent. Fees are for the cost of the review and not for the acceptance of the APS

See the PAAB advisory “Increased specificity in series fee criteria” for APS that are eligible for the series fee.

Supplementary fees for PAAB reviews

Current Fees

¥ Feature is only available on AROs

Starting in 2023, all PAAB fees will be adjusted annually by the prior year’s change in cost of living. These adjustments will impact all files submitted as of the first working day of each year. All fees are exclusive of HST

PAAB meeting and training fees

Current Fees

Fees as of April 1st 2024

Starting in 2023, all PAAB fees will be adjusted annually by the prior year’s change in cost of living. All fees are exclusive of HST.

Fees are invoiced after the first review letter has been sent. Fees are for the cost of the review and not for the acceptance of the APS. Once a piece has an approval number, we consider the approval process to have been completed for the fee that was assessed. Any revisions after that will be treated as a new submission with a new file number and billed a full fee. A review of prescribing information at launch or when revised will be billed an "All APS" fee.

All APS review files which have not received any response for over 180-days will be closed and any revisions following the 180-day period will be assigned a new file number and subject to a new fee.

All APS review files that are not completed within a period of twelve months will be assigned a new file number and subject to a new fee.

Once an acceptance number is issued, the file is considered completed and further revisions to the APS would require a new file number and subject to a new fee.

Invoices are payable within 30 days; advertisers with outstanding balances may be required to clear their accounts before new reviews can begin. Our BN is 104174743.

Questions about fees should be directed to the PAAB office: 203-1305 Pickering Parkway, ON L1V 3P2.

Tel: (905) 509-2275

Send email to review@paab.ca.

Advisory: Increased specificity in series fee criteria 

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