Public Health - Drug Manufacturer-Funded Disease Awareness Campaigns - Registration and Required Disclosure

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb1133*

HOUSE BILL 1133
J1 6lr1205

By: Delegates Taveras, Acevero, Hill, Kaufman, Lehman, Odom, Ruff, and Terrasa
Introduced and read first time: February 11, 2026
Assigned to: Health

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Public Health – Drug Manufacturer–Funded Disease Awareness Campaigns – 2
Registration and Required Disclosure 3

FOR the purpose of requiring drug manufacturers and certain patient advocacy 4
organizations to register with the Maryland Department of Health before conducting 5
a disease awareness campaign in the State; requiring that materials produced and 6
distributed as part of a disease awareness campaign include a certain discl osure 7
under certain circumstances; and generally relating to disease awareness campaigns 8
in the State. 9

BY adding to 10
Article – Health – General 11
Section 24 –2801 and 24–2802 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 28. Disease 12
Awareness Campaigns” 13
Annotated Code of Maryland 14
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 15

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 16
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 17

Article – Health – General 18

SUBTITLE 28. DISEASE AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS. 19

24–2801. 20

(A) IN THIS SUBTITLE THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 21
INDICATED. 22

2 HOUSE BILL 1133

(B) “DISEASE AWARENESS CAM PAIGN” MEANS A PUBLIC HEALTH EFFO RT 1
DESIGNED TO INFORM A TARGET AUDIENCE ABOUT A SPECIFIC MEDICAL CONDITION 2
AND THAT MAY INCLUDE INFORMATION RELATED TO: 3

(1) RISK FACTORS; 4

(2) SYMPTOMS; 5

(3) PREVENTION; AND 6

(4) TREATMENT OPTIONS. 7

(C) “DRUG MANUFACTURER” MEANS AN ENTITY THAT: 8

(1) ENGAGES IN THE MANUFA CTURE OF A PRESCRIPT ION DRUG OR 9
DEVICE; OR 10

(2) ENTERS INTO A LEASE W ITH ANOTHER MANUFACT URER TO 11
MARKET AND DISTRIBUTE A PRESCRIPTION DRUG OR DEVICE UNDER THE ENTITY’S 12
OWN NAME. 13

(D) “PATIENT ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION” MEANS AN ORGANIZATION THAT: 14

(1) PROVIDES EDUCATION, ADVOCACY, AND SUPPORT TO A PATIENT 15
OR THE CAREGIVER OF A PATIENT; 16

(2) IS CONCERNED WITH A M EDICAL CONDITION DIA GNOSED BY A 17
LICENSED HEALTH CARE PROVIDER; OR 18

(3) HAS A MISSION THAT SEEKS TO HELP VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS 19
OR THE FAMILIES OF INDIVIDUALS AFFECTED BY A MEDICAL CONDITION AND TAKES 20
ACTION CONSISTENT WITH THE MISSION. 21

24–2802. 22

(A) (1) WITH RESPECT TO A PAT IENT ADVOCACY ORGANI ZATION, THIS 23
SUBSECTION APPLIES ONLY TO A PATIENT ADVOCACY ORG ANIZATION THAT 24
RECEIVES FUNDING FROM A DRUG MANUFACT URER THAT IS DEVELOPING , 25
MANUFACTURING, OR MARKETING A DRUG OR DEVICE FOR THE MEDICAL 26
CONDITION THAT IS THE FOCUS OF THE DISEASE AWARENESS CAMPAIGN. 27

(2) BEFORE CONDUCTING A DISEASE AWARENESS CAMPAIGN IN THE 28
STATE, A DRUG MANUFACTURER OR PATIENT ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION SHALL: 29
HOUSE BILL 1133 3

(I) REGISTER WITH THE DEPARTMENT; 1

(II) DISCLOSE TO THE DEPARTMENT WHETHER THE DRUG 2
MANUFACTURER OR THE DRUG MANUFACTURE R FROM WHICH THE PATIENT 3
ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION RECEIVES FUNDING IS DEVELOPING, MANUFACTURING, 4
OR MARKETING A DRUG OR DEVICE FOR THE MEDICAL CONDITION THAT IS THE 5
FOCUS OF THE DISEASE AWARENESS CAMPAIGN; AND 6

(III) SPECIFY THE DRUG OR D EVICE THAT THE DRUG 7
MANUFACTURER IS DEVELOPING, MANUFACTURING, OR MARKETING. 8

(B) IF A DRUG MANUFACTURE R OR PATIENT ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIO N 9
DISCLOSES UNDER SUBS ECTION (A)(2)(II) OF THIS SECTION THAT THE FOCUS OF 10
THE DISEASE AWARENES S CAMPAIGN IS A DRUG OR DEVICE THAT IS BE ING 11
MARKETED, MATERIALS PRODUCED AN D DISTRIBUTED AS PAR T OF THE DISEASE 12
AWARENESS CAMPAIGN SHALL INCLUDE A STATEMENT DIS CLOSING THE DRUG OR 13
DEVICE THAT IS BEING MARKETED. 14

(C) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ADOP T REGULATIONS TO CAR RY OUT THIS 15
SUBTITLE. 16

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 17
October 1, 2026. 18