NMC glossary · Claims and promotion
Endorsement: What It Means Under The NMC Rules
Also searched as: Product endorsement, Celebrity endorsement, Recommendation
An RMP shall not give any approval, recommendation, endorsement or certificate for a drug, device or health product for use in advertising with their name, photograph, voice or professional status, whether or not they are paid. Nor may they use celebrities, influencers, patients or staff for prohibited endorsements.
Updated 7 November 2026. Reviewed by Tamojit Lodh, Founder of Medmatis. Built around the NMC's Public Notice No. R-13014/01/2024-Ethics of 6 October 2026. Not legal advice.
Key facts, with sources
Hide the 4 key facts and their sourcesShow the 4 key facts and their sources
| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Term | Endorsement (also searched as Product endorsement, Celebrity endorsement, Recommendation) | Medmatis |
| In the notice | Not defined by the notice; this entry explains how the notice uses it. | NMC notice of 6 Oct 2026, cl. 8.1 (iv), cl. 8.1 (xi), cl. 8.1 (ii) |
| Applies to | Doctors (RMPs) | NMC notice of 6 Oct 2026 |
| In force | From 6 October 2026, with immediate effect. The NMC may issue clarifications and advisories (cl. 12). | NMC notice of 6 Oct 2026 |
In plain words
Clause 8.1 (iv) covers drugs, medicines, remedies, therapeutic articles, apparatus, appliances, medical devices, diagnostic and health products, and any other commercial product. It applies “whether or not monetary or other consideration is received”, so an unpaid endorsement is no safer than a paid one.
Clause 8.1 (xi) separately bars using a celebrity, influencer, patient, employee or third party to promote professional services through prohibited testimonials, endorsements or recommendations.
What it does not mean
- It does not bar lawful public-health or informational communication. Where there is a material commercial relationship in such communication, the notice asks for it to be transparently disclosed (cl. 8.1 xi).
- It does not stop a doctor naming a product in clinical discussion; the clause is about use in advertising and publicity tied to their name, signature, photograph, voice or professional status.
A doctor holding a branded supplement on camera and saying “I recommend this”.
Illustrative wording only. It shows the idea and is not a clearance of any page.
The notice’s own words
Quoted from the NMC notice of 6 October 2026. Check the clause number against the original.
cl. 8.1 (iv)An RMP shall not give, directly or indirectly, any approval, recommendation, endorsement, certificate, report or statement concerning any drug, medicine, remedy, therapeutic article, apparatus, appliance, medical device, diagnostic product, health product or commercial product for use in advertising or publicity in connection with his/her name, signature, photograph, voice or professional status, whether or not monetary or other consideration is received.
cl. 8.1 (xi)No RMP shall use or permit any celebrity, influencer, patient, employee or third party to promote professional services through prohibited testimonials, endorsements or recommendations. Any material commercial relationship in lawful public-health or informational communication shall be transparently disclosed in accordance with applicable law. No RMP or hospital/medical institution shall use a third party as an intermediary to do indirectly what the RMP or institution is prohibited from doing directly.
cl. 8.1 (ii)Shall not solicit patients directly or indirectly, promote his/her professional services through self-promotion, engage any third party for marketing medical services, permit the use of their name, image, voice, testimonial or endorsement for promotion of services or any products, participate in promotional campaigns giving an impression of commercialization of medical practice.
Our plain-language guide to the whole notice → Check your own text against these rules →
Frequently asked questions
Can a doctor endorse a product if they are not paid?
No. The restriction applies whether or not monetary or other consideration is received (cl. 8.1 iv).
Can a clinic use an influencer?
Not for prohibited testimonials, endorsements or recommendations (cl. 8.1 xi), and not on terms that tie payment to individual patients (cl. 8.1 viii). The notice does not ban influencers by name.
This entry explains a public notice in plain language and quotes its clause numbers. It is not legal advice. Read the original NMC notice and take advice on your own situation.
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