Article 13 of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Establishments Law
المادة 13 من نظام المنشآت والمستحضرات الصيدلانية والعشبية
This article bars selling samples of pharmaceutical and herbal products prepared to introduce the product.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
لا يجوز بيع عينات المستحضرات الصيدلانية والعشبية المعدة للتعريف بالمنتج.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 13 explained in plain English
This article sets an absolute prohibition: samples of pharmaceutical and herbal products prepared to introduce the product may not be sold.
The samples meant are those prepared for the purpose of introducing the product. Such samples are prepared to introduce doctors or others to the product, not to be put on the market.
The prohibition is general and the text does not limit it to a particular party, so it covers anyone who sells these samples, whether a warehouse, a pharmacy, a representative or others. The text also does not tie the prohibition to a particular price, so a prohibited sale occurs even at a low price.
This article sits between the pricing provisions in Article 12 and the provisions limiting retail sale in Article 14; this helps keep the pricing system and the approved sales channels from being bypassed by putting on the market products that were not prepared for sale. This article does not state a penalty for violation, since penalties are regulated in other articles of the Law.
To see how this rule affects a particular situation, it is advisable to consult a lawyer who specializes in health and pharmaceutical regulation.
Practical example
A pharmacist at a pharmacy in Khobar received boxes of samples of a new medicine that the company prepared to introduce the product. He may not sell these samples to patients, even at a low price.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 13 of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Establishments Law
Can medicine samples be sold?
No. The article bars selling samples of pharmaceutical and herbal products prepared to introduce the product.
Does the ban cover herbal samples?
Yes. The text covers samples of pharmaceutical and herbal products together.
Can a sample be sold at a token price?
The text bars sale and makes no exception for any price.
More articles on Sale and Circulation of Drugs and Herbs
- Article 14
This article limits retail sale of pharmaceutical products to pharmacies, and herbal products to pharmacies and herbal establishments, except what the President decides may be sold elsewhere.
1- يقصر بيع المستحضرات الصيدلانية بالتجزئة على الصيدليات، ويستثنى من ذلك ما يقرر الرئيس جواز بيعه في غيرها. 2- يقصر بيع المستحضرات العشبية بالتجزئة على الصيدليا
- Article 15
This article bars a pharmaceutical establishment from holding products without documents proving their source and quantities, and requires manufacturers and warehouses to replace products with only one month of shelf life left.
1- يحظر على المنشأة الصيدلية حيازة أي كمية من المستحضرات الصيدلانية والعشبية دون وجود مستندات تثبت مصدر شرائها وكمياتها. 2- يلتزم مصنع المستحضرات الصيدلانية وال
- Article 19
This article bars selling registered pharmaceutical and herbal products except after the Authority prices them and in the packages it specifies.
لا يجوز بيع المستحضرات الصيدلانية والعشبية المسجلة إلا بعد تسعيرها من الهيئة، ووفقاً للعبوات التي تحددها.
- Article 21
This article requires registered product factories in the Kingdom and the warehouses representing them to supply their registered products, however low their price or consumption.
تلتزم مصانع المستحضرات الصيدلانية والعشبية المسجلة في المملكة ومستودعات الاتجار بالمستحضرات الصيدلانية والعشبية الممثلة لها بتوفير مستحضراتها الصيدلانية والعشبي
- Article 26
This article bars trading warehouses from selling products to anyone other than a pharmacy, an herbal products sales establishment and a licensed health establishment, subject to the Article 14 exception.
مع مراعاة الاستثناء الوارد في المادة (الرابعة عشرة) من النظام، يحظر على مستودعات الاتجار بالمستحضرات الصيدلانية والعشبية بيع المستحضرات الصيدلانية والعشبية لغير
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.