Four companies admonished for breaching ABPI Code of Practice
Pfizer, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Janssen-Cilag and Daiichi Sankyo have been admonished through advertisements in the medical and pharmaceutical press that highlight breaches of The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry's (ABPI) Code of Practice for the Pharmaceutical Industry.
Pfizer, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Janssen-Cilag and Daiichi Sankyo have been admonished through advertisements in the medical and pharmaceutical press that highlight breaches of The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry's (ABPI) Code of Practice for the Pharmaceutical Industry.
Under provisions in the 2006 Constitution and Procedure, the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA) advertises brief details of all cases where companies are ruled in breach of Clause 2 of the Code, are required to issue a corrective statement or are the subject of a public reprimand.
Pfizer breached the Code by linking the provision of medical and educational goods and services to the promotion of medicines in instructions to representatives relating to a nurse advisor programme. As a result, the company was ruled in breach of the following clauses of the Code (2003 edition):
- Clause 2 - Bringing discredit upon, or reducing confidence in, the pharmaceutical industry.
- Clause 9.1 - Failing to maintain a high standard.
- Clause 18.1 - Failing to comply with the requirements for the provision of medical and educational goods and services.
The company was also audited, publicly reprimanded, required to issue a corrective statement and suspended from membership of the ABPI for a minimum of three months from October 2006.
Janssen-Cilag breached the Code as, unbeknown to the company, its public relations agency offered to pay journalists to attend a National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) appeal hearing. As a result the company was ruled in breach of the following clauses of the Code:
- Clause 2 - Bringing discredit upon, or reducing confidence in, the pharmaceutical industry.
- Clause 9.1 - Failing to maintain a high standard.
- Clause 19.1 - Offering funding to compensate merely for the time spent at a meeting.
- Clause 2 - Bringing discredit upon, or reducing confidence in, the pharmaceutical industry.
- Clause 9.1 - Failing to maintain a high standard.
- Clause 22 - Failing to comply with an undertaking.