The NLN wishes to play a part in improving the quality of drug information published on the Internet in the Nordic region and, at the same time, to make it easier for both professionals and lay people to find reliable information. Quality-assured information is identified by the NLN ‘seal of quality’ (the symbol for reliable information on medicines). What does quality mean? It is the satisfaction of the consumer. The criteria for using the seal of quality are as follows:

• The information provider must have a documented internal quality-assurance system (procedures manual) of its own for the production and publication of drug information. This system must meet the need for continuous assurance of the validity of the information provided and for updating the information in line with scientific developments in the field.

• Information must immediately be updated when essential new facts emerge, such as significant new research findings or official decisions concerning the medicines in question. Information must be regularly reviewed, at least twice a year. There must be electronic mechanisms to remove information that has not been updated within six months.

• The provider’s web site must give the name of an individual who is professionally responsible for the quality of the information published. This person must have a degree in pharmacy, medicine, or veterinary medicine.

• Pharmaceutical companies must participate in the quality-control system organized by the pharmaceutical industry in the country in which the information is published and must follow the guidelines that apply within the industry. Directions and requirements laid down by industry monitoring bodies must be complied with immediately and in full.

• A legally binding court order or judgement must be complied with immediately and in full.

• The producer of a registered medicinal product may only publish information that is consistent with the most recently approved summary of product characteristics (SPC) and package leaflet. If a drug manufacturer provides information concerning a non-registered product, it must be made clear that the product is not approved; the manufacturer may only give information that can be checked in public sources and must include references that users will be able to find.

• Information must be accompanied by the name of the publisher, the name of the individual responsible for quality, the place of publication, and the date of the most recent revision.

• In other respects, the information must comply with national and internationally recognized standards of good practice, e.g., those of the International Chamber of Commerce.