Digital Marketing for a Pharmacy in Morocco: What You're Allowed to Do

In Morocco, a pharmacy cannot “advertise” the way an ordinary business does. Advertising for medicines requires a prior approval (visa) from the Moroccan Medicines and Health Products Agency (AMMPS) under Law No. 17-04, and the pharmacists' code of ethics prohibits soliciting customers through practices contrary to the dignity of the profession. A pharmacy does, however, have the right to make itself findable: name, address, phone number, opening days and hours, and a statement of its activities are among the details the code expressly allows. That is precisely the content of a Google listing. This is why, for a pharmacy, the real lever isn't advertising but local visibility.

Is a pharmacy allowed to advertise in Morocco?

No, not in the sense a restaurant or a gym would mean it. Two regimes overlap, and you need to tell them apart so you don't end up on the wrong ground.

Medicines first. Article 38 of Law No. 17-04 enacting the Medicines and Pharmacy Code defines advertising very broadly: any form of information, canvassing, prospecting or inducement aimed at promoting the prescription, dispensing, sale or consumption of a medicine. Advertising to the public is only permitted if the medicine is not subject to medical prescription, is not reimbursable, and its marketing authorization contains no restriction. It also requires prior authorization: the advertising visa, issued by the AMMPS, which took over these responsibilities in June 2025.

In March 2026, the AMMPS published a guideline that tightens the framework further. Two points directly concern a pharmacy: the visa must appear on every medium, along with a caution message and an invitation to consult a pharmacist; and above all, content can be reclassified as advertising even if it isn't presented as such — a post, a video, an influencer appearance — as soon as it aims, directly or indirectly, to promote a medicine.

The pharmacy, next. The pharmacists' code of ethics (Decree No. 2-63-486 of December 26, 1963, kept in force by Dahir with force of law No. 1-75-453) devotes an entire title to the “prohibition of certain practices in seeking clientele.” Its Article 14 is unambiguous: pharmacists must refrain from soliciting customers through practices contrary to the dignity of their profession, even when these practices are not expressly prohibited by the legislation in force. In other words: just because a platform accepts your campaign doesn't mean it is ethically acceptable.

But the same code, in Article 16, lists what a pharmacist may display under their business name and in directories: surname and first names, address, telephone numbers, opening days and hours, a statement of the various activities they carry out, and their university degrees. This text dates from 1963 and wasn't written for the internet, but it draws a clear line: service information is allowed, solicitation is not.

Medicines or parapharmacy: where exactly is the line?

That's the question that decides everything. The further you move away from medicines, the more room you have to maneuver. Here's how the zones break down.

Remember the simple rule: as soon as a medicine's name appears, you fall within the scope of the visa. As long as you're talking about your services, your hours and your parapharmacy range, you're on workable ground.

Why the Google listing is a pharmacy's first lever

Because advertising is closed to you, local search becomes decisive. When someone types “on-duty pharmacy near me” or “pharmacy open now,” it's your Google Business Profile that decides whether you appear on Maps. And its content matches Article 16 almost word for word: name, address, phone, hours, activities.

What to get right:

• Real hours, and on-duty shifts — use special hours on your on-duty days. It's the most searched-for information, and the most poorly filled in.
• Directions and the neighborhood — a misplaced pin on the map sends your customers to the pharmacy across the street.
• Listed services — orthopedics, medical equipment, rentals, blood pressure checks, dermocosmetics: this is the “statement of activities” the code allows.
• Photos — the storefront by day and by night, the interior, the parapharmacy area. They reassure people before they even arrive.

Our guide to the Google Business Profile in Morocco details the setup. As for customer reviews, one rule: ask for them on the quality of the welcome and the service, never on a treatment or a condition. Professional secrecy is binding on pharmacists, and Article 7 of the code asks them not to discuss their customers' illnesses in public.

What health content can a pharmacy publish?

A lot, as long as it never slides toward products or diagnosis. General information is a pharmacy's most solid ground, and the one that ranks best.

• Prevention and seasonality — allergies in spring, hydration in summer, back to school, hygiene habits.
• Proper use — storing medicines, reading a package leaflet, returning expired medicines, not sharing a prescription.
• Your services — what you can do that your neighbors don't know about: orthopedics, home care equipment, dermocosmetic advice.

Three prohibitions, on the other hand, follow directly from the texts:

1. No diagnosis or prognosis — Article 29 of the code of ethics expressly prohibits it. You inform; you don't assess individual cases.
2. No medicine names — you would fall within the scope of the AMMPS visa, even with content presented as educational.
3. No patient testimonials — even blurred, even with consent. Professional secrecy is non-negotiable.

And one obligation that also makes a good editorial habit: Article 26 asks pharmacists to encourage their customers to see a doctor whenever necessary. End your content with that referral. It's compliant, and it's what sets you apart from sloppy health accounts.

WhatsApp Business: what really helps, what's prohibited

WhatsApp is the most useful channel for a Moroccan pharmacy, as long as you stick to service rather than sales. What works:

• Availability — “Do you have this splint in my size?” saves a pointless trip.
• Refill reminders for chronic treatments, at the patient's request.
• Opening hours and on-duty shifts, shared as a Status update rather than a mass message.
• Parapharmacy — advice, reservations and orders for products outside the pharmacy monopoly.

The line is clear. Article 30 of Law No. 17-04 reserves the sale of medicines to pharmacists in their pharmacies and to authorized depots: selling medicines online is illegal in Morocco, and a circular from the Public Prosecutor's Office dated January 28, 2025 asked prosecutors to enforce the law strictly against sales on platforms and social networks. No medicine catalog, no online ordering, no delivery presented as a service. Our article on WhatsApp Business in Morocco covers the tool; for a pharmacy, apply it to advice, not to transactions.

Website and budget: how much should a pharmacy plan for?

A pharmacy website doesn't need to be a store. It has to answer four questions: where are you, when are you open, what do you offer, how can people reach you. Add your prevention content and you get an asset that works for you on Google, without buying anything. See our website design in Morocco service.

Ballpark figures, excluding tax, as generally seen on the Moroccan market:

• Google listing created, verified and optimized: $199–499 / €199–499, one-off.
• Pharmacy business website, 3 to 5 pages, mobile-ready: $599–1,990 / €599–1,990.
• Photo and video of the pharmacy, one session: $249–799 / €249–799.
• Content and social media management: $149–499 / €149–499 per month.

The mistakes that can cost you dearly

They are almost always retail reflexes applied to a regulated profession. The most common:

• Promotions and discount codes — Article 22 of the code of ethics prohibits cash or in-kind rebates on the price of a product or service, and deems speculating on health contrary to professional morality.
• Contests and giveaways — a textbook solicitation mechanic, hard to reconcile with Article 14.
• Health influencer partnerships — the AMMPS guideline explicitly targets influencer content, which can be requalified as advertising.
• Bought or dictated reviews — against Google's rules, and against professional dignity.
• A photo of a prescription posted in a story, even partially masked.

The good news: these constraints work in your favor. Where other sectors buy their visibility, a pharmacy builds it: a flawless listing, accurate opening hours, genuine reviews, useful content. It's slower, it lasts longer, and most of your fellow pharmacists don't do it.