ABPI suspends Roche for breach of code

A former employee of Roche lodged a complaint against the company citing an article published in the Financial Times. The article alleged that Roche had sold large quantities of its prescription obesity drug Xenical to an operator of private diet clinics and also that Roche had agreed to provide GBP55,000 for the operator to purchase another clinic.

The Code of Practice Panel of the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA), which administers the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) Code of Practice, ruled that the supply of Xenical was inappropriate. Roche appealed the finding, however the PMCPA Appeal Board considered the supply of Xenical as possibly prejudicial to patient safety and upheld the finding.

The serious nature of the offence prompted the Panel to report the finding to the ABPI Board of Management which concluded that Roche’s activities between 2003 and 2005 violated the code, including Clause 2 which deals with actions likely to bring discredit on, or reduce confidence in, the pharmaceutical industry. The board finally decided to suspend Roche for six months and agreed to re-admit Roche only if the audit of the company’s procedures proved satisfactory to the board.

Chris Brinsmead, ABPI president, said: “The highest possible ethical standards are required by the pharmaceutical industry in all its activities. Breaches of the Code are viewed seriously and this is reflected by the suspension.”

Roche has accepted the ruling of the ABPI board and said that it has taken corrective measure to prevent their recurrence.