734-936-8000 - Service Desk | Request Support

Promotional Activities

Additional promotional activities may include advertisements and other marketing materials used to promote commercial companies or products. Arrangements for such promotions cannot influence activity planning or presentations, nor can they be a condition of the provision of commercial support for a CME activity.

General restrictions for advertisements and marketing materials:

  • Product-promotion material or product-specific advertisement of any type is prohibited in or during CME activities.
  • Promotional activities must be kept separate from CME.
  • Educational materials that are part of a CME activity, such as slides, abstracts and handouts, cannot contain any advertising, corporate logo, trade name or a product-group message of an ACCME-defined commercial interest.
  • Print or electronic information distributed about the non-CME elements of a CME activity that are not directly related to the transfer of education to the learner, such as schedules and content descriptions, may include product-promotion material or product-specific advertisement.

Activity-specific restrictions:

Live activities (e.g., conferences, workshops)

  • For live, in-person activities, advertisements and promotional materials cannot be displayed or distributed in the educational space immediately before, during, or after a CME activity.
  • Providers cannot allow representatives of commercial interests to engage in sales or promotional activities while in the space or place of the CME activity.

Internet live activities (e.g., webcast, live broadcasts)

  • Advertisements and promotional materials may not be visible on the screen at the same time as the CME content or interleafed between computer windows or screens of the CME content.
  • Advertising of any type is prohibited within the educational content of CME activities on the internet including, but not limited to, banner ads, subliminal ads, and pop-up window ads.
  • With clear notification that the learner is leaving the educational website, links to pharmaceutical and device manufacturers’ product websites are permitted before or after the educational content of a CME activity, but shall not be embedded in the educational content of a CME activity.

Enduring material activities:

  • Online/internet
    • A commercial interest cannot be the agent providing a CME activity to learners, e.g., distribution of enduring material CME activities or arranging for electronic access to CME activities.
    • CME activities cannot be placed on a website owned or controlled by a commercial interest.
    • Advertisements and promotional materials may not be visible on the screen at the same time as the CME content or interleafed between computer windows or screens of the CME content.
    • Advertising of any type is prohibited within the educational content of CME activities on the internet including, but not limited to, banner ads, subliminal ads, and pop-up window ads.
    • With clear notification that the learner is leaving the educational website, links to pharmaceutical and device manufacturers’ product websites are permitted before or after the educational content of a CME activity, but shall not be embedded in the educational content of a CME activity.
  • Audio and Video Recording (e.g., CD-ROM, DVD, Video or audio tape, MP3)
    • A commercial interest cannot be the agent providing a CME activity to learners, e.g., distribution of enduring material CME activities or arranging for electronic access to CME activities.
    • For audio and video recording, advertisements and promotional materials will not be included within the CME.
  • Print (e.g., monograph)
    • A commercial interest cannot be the agent providing a CME activity to learners, e.g., distribution of enduring material CME activities or arranging for electronic access to CME activities.
    • The juxtaposition of editorial and advertising material on the same products or subjects must be avoided.
    • Advertisements and promotional materials will not be interleaved within the pages of the CME content.
    • Advertisements and promotional materials may face the first or last pages of printed CME content as long as these materials are not related to the CME content they face and are not paid for by the commercial supporters of the CME activity.
  • Journal
    • A commercial interest cannot be the agent providing a CME activity to learners, e.g., distribution of enduring material CME activities or arranging for electronic access to CME activities.
    • The juxtaposition of editorial and advertising material on the same products or subjects must be avoided.
    • Advertisements and promotional materials will not be interleaved within the pages of the CME content.
    • Advertisements and promotional materials may face the first or last pages of printed CME content as long as these materials are not related to the CME content they face and are not paid for by the commercial supporters of the CME activity.
    • None of the elements of journal-based CME can contain any advertising or product group messages of commercial interests.
    • For journal-based CME, the learner must not encounter advertising within the pages of the article or within the pages of the related questions or evaluation materials.