Five pharma companies have breached the Code of Practice of the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industries (ABPI)
Lundbeck, A Menarini Pharma, Bayer, HRA Pharma UK and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) were named by the PMCPA – the Code’s administrator – in medical, pharmaceutical and nursing press advertisements for Code breaches.
All five breached clause 2, which constitutes bringing discredit upon, and reducing confidence in, the pharmaceutical industry.
Lundbeck, A Menarini and Bayer breached the Code by each sponsoring a speaker or speakers and paying for exhibition space at a meeting not primarily educational in purpose, and by the impression given by their involvement.
In addition to clause 2, this breached clause 9.1 (failing to maintain high standards) and clause 19.1 (failing to meet the requirements for meetings).
HRA Pharma UK breached six clauses as a result of emails sent by a representative to a health professional regarding the provision of an emergency contraception service and the use of ellaOne (ulipristal acetate).
The breached clauses were 2, 7.2 (making a misleading claim), 7.10 (making an exaggerated claim), 8.2 (disparaging a service provision), 9.1 (failing to maintain high standards) and 15.2 (failing to maintain a high standard of ethical conduct).
GSK breached clauses 2, 9.1 and 14.3 (failing to certify joint working materials before use) after making a voluntary admission that it had not formally certified materials relating to a joint working project with the NHS until some months after the project had started.
The advertisements will appear in the BMJ Clinical Research and the Pharmaceutical Journal on March 1, 2014, the Nursing Standard on March 5, 2014, and the BMJ General Practice on March 8, 2014.