PMCPA PRESS RELEASE 17 February 2025 – Cases ruled in breach of Clause 2 (published by PMCPA between 4 December 2024 and 3 February 2025)

AstraZeneca – Case AUTH/3729/1/23

For promoting capivasertib on LinkedIn prior to the grant of its marketing authorisation, in a post that contained the strong phrase ‘remarkable benefits’, and the impression created by very senior staff acting contrary to the company’s global social media policy, AstraZeneca was ruled in breach of the following clauses of the 2021 Code:

Clause 2 - Bringing discredit upon, and reducing confidence in, the pharmaceutical industry

Clause 3.1 - Promoting a medicine prior to the grant of the marketing authorisation

Clause 5.1 - Failing to maintain high standards

AstraZeneca – Case AUTH/3774/6/23

For promoting durvalumab outside of the terms of its marketing authorisation and promoting tremelimumab prior to the grant of its marketing authorisation by interacting with two LinkedIn posts, and the impression created by very senior staff acting contrary to the company’s global social media policy, AstraZeneca was ruled in breach of the following clauses of the 2019 Code:

Clause 2 - Bringing discredit upon, and reducing confidence in, the pharmaceutical industry

Clause 3.1 - Promoting a medicine prior to the grant of the marketing authorisation

Clause 9.1 - Failing to maintain high standards

Clause 26.1 - Promoting a prescription only medicine to the public

Moderna – Case AUTH/3783/6/23

For paying a UK health professional to attend a meeting that did not meet the criteria for a genuine advisory board and therefore paying a fee to attend, in effect, a promotional meeting that detailed an investigational product which at the time did not have a marketing authorisation and an indication for a medicine that was inconsistent with its summary of product characteristics, Moderna was ruled in breach of the following clauses of the 2021 Code:

Clause 2 - Bringing discredit upon, and reducing confidence in, the pharmaceutical industry

Clause 5.1 - Failing to maintain high standards

Clause 11.1 - Promoting a medicine prior to the grant of its marketing authorisation

Clause 11.2 - Promoting a medicine in a manner inconsistent with its summary of product characteristics

Clause 19.1 - Provision of a pecuniary advantage or benefit to a health professional in connection with the promotion of medicines or as an inducement to prescribe, supply, administer and/or recommend a medicine

Moderna – Case AUTH/3815/8/23

In relation to unacceptable use of imagery and language in tweets and a linked article relating to patient recruitment advertising for a clinical trial, none of which had been subject to the regulatory approval process, Moderna was ruled in breach of the following clauses of the 2021 Code:

Clause 2 - Bringing discredit upon, and reducing confidence in, the pharmaceutical industry

Clause 5.1 - Failing to maintain high standards

Clause 5.5 - Failing to be sufficiently clear as to the company’s role and involvement

Clause 6.1 - Making a misleading claim

Novo Nordisk – Case AUTH/3876/2/24

For its failure to disclose or accurately disclose transfers of value to healthcare organisations and patient organisations, between 2015 and 2022, Novo Nordisk was ruled in breach of the following clauses of the 2015 Code, 2016 Code, 2019 Code and 2021 Code: 

2015 Code 

Clause 24.1 - Failing to document and publicly disclose annually certain transfers

of value made directly or indirectly to health professionals, other relevant decision makers and healthcare organisations 

Clause 24.4 - Failing to make disclosures annually in respect of each calendar

year in the first six months after the end of the calendar year in which the transfers of value were made 

Clause 27.7 - Failing to make publicly available a list of patient organisations to which it provides support

2016 Code 

Clause 24.1 - Failing to document and publicly disclose annually certain transfers of value made directly or indirectly to health professionals, other relevant decision makers and healthcare organisations 

Clause 24.4 - Failing to make disclosures annually in respect of each calendar year in the first six months after the end of the calendar year in which the transfers of value were made 

Clause 27.7 - Failing to make publicly available a list of patient organisations to which it provides support

2019 Code 

Clause 24.1 - Failing to document and publicly disclose annually certain transfers of value made directly or indirectly to health professionals, other relevant decision makers and healthcare organisations 

Clause 24.4 - Failing to make disclosures annually in respect of each calendar

year in the first six months after the end of the calendar year in which the transfers of value were made 

Clause 27.7 - Failing to make publicly available a list of patient organisations to which it provides support

2021 Code 

Clause 2 - Bringing discredit upon, and reducing confidence in, the pharmaceutical industry 

Clause 5.1 - Failing to maintain high standards 

Clause 28.1 - Failing to document and publicly disclose annually certain transfers of value made directly or indirectly to health professionals, other relevant decision makers and healthcare organisations

Clause 29.1    - Failing to make publicly available annually, a list of patient organisations to which it provides donations, grants or sponsorship or with whom it has engaged to provide contracted services over the reporting period 

Clause 29.2 - Failing to meet the disclosure requirements for the provision of donations, grants or sponsorship to a patient organisation 

Clause 31.1 - Failing to make disclosures annually in respect of each calendar year in the first six months after the end of the calendar year in which the transfers of value were made. 

The case reports are available at www.pmcpa.org.uk. 

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