Background: Advertisements in medical journals is also an important and effective way that is used by pharmaceutical companies to promote their drugs and to reach clinicians. In drug advertisements, misleading and wrong information is seen and sometimes such literature is of poor scientific and educational utility. However, despite the availability of guidelines and self-regulatory codes worldwide, pharmaceutical advertisement in a medical journal are being of poor. Objective: To evaluate drug promotion advertisement in Indian and Non-Indian medical journals. Methods: 30 drug advertisements each published in Indian and non-Indian scientific medical journals were selected randomly Drug promotional advertisements that promote allopathy medicines. Each drug advertisements were evaluated for - Compliance with WHO ethical criteria for medicinal drug promotion. Each drug advertisement was also evaluated for - compliance with the OPPI code. The percentage was calculated for compliance to WHO criteria, OPPI code and claims made. An unpaired t-test was used. P__ampersandsignlt; 0.05 was considered significant for comparison. Results: Adjuvants were mentioned in 56.66% of Indian journals and 86.67% non-Indian journals advertisements. Side effects, warnings, contraindications precautions were significantly more mentioned in non-Indian journal advertisements. Conclusion: Pharmaceutical companies are involved in establishing a commercial relationship with the treating physicians wherein the educational aspect of scientific information about drugs is compromised. Pharmaceutical companies did not meet all the WHO criteria and OPPI code for ethical drug promotion. Strict compliance to these criteria is necessary for rational drug therapy and the benefit of the patient. Hence critical appraisal of all forms of drug promotion including journal advertisement by the physicians is very crucial. This study recommends that code for drug promotion should be supported by government legislation and strict regulatory implementation.