Advert - Vifor Pharma

• Date posted
  01 February 2017
• Sanction
  Advertisement,
• Case number/s
  AUTH/2828/3/16 - Clinical Nurse Specialist v Vifor

For producing material that caused its representatives to create doubt about the safety of a competitor product and make misleading comparisons with Ferinject (ferric carboxymaltose for injection/infusion) and for providing an unsolicited promotional email from its medical information department that was not fair or balanced about adverse reactions, Vifor was ruled in breach of the following clauses of the Code:

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

Clause 7.2 - Making misleading comparisons.

Clause 7.4 - Making claims incapable of substantiation.

Clause 7.9 - Making claims about adverse reactions not capable of substantiation.

Clause 9.1 - Failing to maintain high standards.

Clause 9.9 - Sending a promotional email without the prior permission of the recipient.

Clause 15.2 - Representatives failing to maintain a high standard of ethical conduct.

Clause 15.9 - Producing representatives’ briefing material that was likely to lead to them breaching the Code.

The full case report was published in the PMCPA February 2017 Code of Practice Review and is available at www.pmcpa.org.uk.