Accessibility Reinforcement Act
What pharmaceutical companies need to watch out for
If inclusion is to succeed, then the conditions for an accessible world must be created. That applies to the world of products and services, too, and especially those in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sector. The German Accessibility Reinforcement Act, or BSFG for short, will take effect on 28 June 2025 so that these products and services are accessible for people with disabilities. What things do marketing agencies need to watch out for? Our digital solution experts explain the most important consequences.
The German Accessibility Reinforcement Act (Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz, BFSG) is, at its core, not a new law. It transposes an EU directive from 2019, the European Accessibility Act, into national legislation. This means that enabling barrier-free access to content has long been a part of WEFRA LIFE’s corporate social responsibility. The healthcare marketing agency has for many years already advised its clients to ensure accessibility, and the law is essentially just confirmation of this advice.
The content of the BSFG provides a definition of accessibility requirements for products and services, including in particular hardware and the operating equipment for it, software, online retail, passenger transport and banking services. For agencies in the healthcare marketing field, the BSFG is particularly relevant wherever electronic communication methods are involved. Such methods include patient portals and telemedicine platforms, for example. Websites and mobile applications in the healthcare sector may be affected, though not necessarily always. In these domains, the BSFG is also somewhat of an appeal by nature. It is not always formulated clearly and specifically. Having said that, it is still generally recommended to consider the BSFG guidelines when carrying out digital campaigns and activities, even if it leaves some freedom for interpretation.
Requirements for accessible websites
For websites, the main accessibility criterion is that the content needs to be accessible for all users. That includes the usability of a website, for example, as the functions must be able to be used with a variety of input methods. Comprehensibility is important, too, and may require that content is presented in plain language or that alternative text is offered for images. The content should also be compatible with a wide variety of assistive technologies so that people with, for example, a visual impairment can get their screen reader to read the website aloud.
Implementation of the BSFG in practice
WEFRA LIFE has come up with a process featuring practical steps that it takes with B2B and B2C clients in the pharmaceutical sector. With this process, it meets the requirements of the BSFG. The process starts with an analysis of the existing digital offering and, building on that, moves to a recommendation for the action to be taken. Then, the concrete measures for eliminating identified barriers are planned and implemented. These measures may range from a spectrum of ‘small changes’ to a complete (re-)launch. Various tools such as the Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool (WAVE), the AXE browser extension and Google’s Page Speed Insight Test as well as user feedback are used to check the effectiveness of the measures on an ongoing basis.
The digital experts at WEFRA LIFE recommend to their clients to approach the topic of accessibility proactively and with foresight, and not just to see the BSFG as another set of legal requirements to be met. ‘It is about creating awareness of accessibility and generating a good user experience which includes all HCPs, patients and interested parties. This is something that pharmaceutical businesses and marketing agencies should be interested in regardless of the law’s contents.’
We are happy to advise on this subject and look forward to you contacting us via Tobias Schwaiger, tobias.schwaiger@wefra.life, Executive Creative Director at WEFRA LIFE SOLUTIONS GmbH.
