Announcements           

• AI Industry Townhall: AI MODEL - Phase I Testing Opt-In Deadline!

We are thrilled to announce that the Pharmaceutical Advertising Advisory Board (PAAB) is taking a significant step forward in innovation by launching the first phase of testing of our ground-breaking AI model on live files starting May 1st.

In preparation for launch we’d like to notify all manufacturers still considering participation that the deadline for full opt in is now set for May 1st. Manufacturers who opt in after the May 1st deadline will likely need to wait until a sufficient number of additional opt-ins are accumulated. This grouping of late opt-ins is intended to support cost-effectiveness. 

This initiative marks a major milestone in enhancing the efficiency, consistency, and effectiveness of advertising review processes for our industry. Ensuring that preclearance keeps pace with the speed and quantity of specialization afforded through AI adoption across the industry.

• Client Messenger: 🎉Available for all Files 🎉In Q1 we have continued to see use of Messenger amongst new clients to help expedite review of eFiles. This feature is particularly helpful on nuanced topics which may require multiple rounds of discussion, impacting the timeline of the remaining content review.

Early trends:

• • Most clients have requested Messenger after initial submission.
  • Common uses of Messenger include resolving comments on new creative concepts, new data and layout positioning issues between rounds of revision.

To request Messenger after initial submission, please reach out to review@paab.ca and request that they turn Messenger on for your eFile.

• Creative Imagery Committee: In collaboration with the Creative Imagery Committee, a proposed final draft document is being circulated to the team for what will hopefully be the last round of comments. Once final comments have been applied, we will post the document to the PAAB website and PAAB Forum, and let industry know via our emails list. Please ensure you are registered on the Forum or for PAAB emails if you’d like to be up to date when it launches.

    New Documents

• “Product of Canada” & “Made in Canada” – PAAB posted guidance on the addition of these two messages to existing and future advertising pieces.        

• If you missed last quarter’s review, don’t forget to review here to make sure you’re up to date on all things new at PAAB and upcoming projects.    

    Q&A

    30 Forum questions across 17 agencies and 2 manufactures from 23 different users.

Topics covered:

• Guidelines
• Exempt therapeutic messages/sample messages
• Attestations (sign-off and for service sites)
• Google search terms
• Patient reported outcomes (PROs)
• RWE reprints
• Retargeting digital media
• International conferences and guidelines
• Veterinarian
• “Coming soon”
• NOC/c reprint carriers
• Before and after images
• Co-patient and HCP pieces (dual audience)

    In the works for 2025

RWE Guidance Continuous Evaluation of Approach – The RWE Guidance, launched on February 1, 2024, marked a groundbreaking shift in how clinical data can be shared. In November, a supplement was introduced to address the evaluation and use of single-arm studies—demonstrating PAAB’s ongoing commitment to reassessing the evolving market landscape.

In 2025, we’ll continue this approach by entering early-stage consultations with multiple stakeholders to explore different aspects of RWE studies and additional study types. While it’s too early to know whether changes will result, we’re committed to keeping stakeholders informed as these discussions develop.

Healthcare Professional Outreach – PAAB completed a HCP survey at the end of 2024 which demonstrated that there is a significant improvement in “trust” scores when advertising and promotions systems contain the PAAB logo. As we move through 2025, we’ll be continuing to promote the awareness of PAAB to healthcare professionals across all disciplines.

AI Assisted Submission Process – With the set launch to start testing the model on May 1^st, PAAB will be able to refocus on the AI Assisted Submission Process. If you are an agency who would like to contribute to testing and provide feedback to improve features, please reach out to Info@PAAB.ca Attn: Danielle Anthony.

Medical/Regulatory Sign-Off – We have received consistent feedback that sequential reviews are a significant time delay for some companies when developing APS. A concurrent review between MLR and PAAB can remove this delay. In Q2, PAAB will be revising the submission form to an “optional” field that can still be completed if required for internal compliance but will not be required by PAAB. Additional details will be provided upon revision of the submission form.

    eFiles Tag Report

• Q1 tag and CEI report will be coming shortly. Stay tuned to see the most common tags, what PAAB’s doing to address them, and the CEI feedback submitted by you and your colleagues.    

• As a reminder, the tickets are completely confidential. If you want more information on the tagging system, please see Client Tagging System Advisory.    

• As a reminder, the CEI captures the overall experience with a file and the review process. It helps to impact macro processes and performance. The “tags” help us pinpoint cases where there was an event that could be assessed for learning purposes, checked for consistency or which could be used to implement change. This specific feedback helps us improve performance on a more granular level.