AUTH/2950/4/17 - Health professional v Tor Generics

Advertisement in The Big Issue

  • Received
    01 April 2017
  • Case number
    AUTH/2950/4/17
  • Applicable Code year
    2016
  • Completed
    09 June 2017
  • No breach Clause(s)
  • Breach Clause(s)
  • Sanctions applied
    Undertaking received
  • Additional sanctions
  • Appeal
    No appeal
  • Review
    August 2017 Review

Case Summary

A health professional complained that a Tor Generics advertisement which included a pack shot of, inter alia, Tor-Bac 5ml in The Big Issue magazine, advertised an injection, and thus a prescription only medicine (POM) to the public in breach of the Code.

The detailed response from Tor Generics is given below.

The Panel noted the company's submission that once licensed Tor-Bac saline solution for injection would be a POM; the licence was pending. The Code prohibited the promotion of POMs to the public. Although the company was aware of its likely classifcation pending grant of Tor-Bac's marketing authorisation the product was not classifed as a POM when the advertisement at issue was published. On this narrow technical point the Panel ruled no breach of the Code.

The Panel, however, considered that the inclusion of the Tor-Bac product pack in an advertisement aimed at the general public prior to the grant of its marketing authorization and when the company knew that it would be classifed as a POM meant that high standards had not been maintained; a breach of the Code was ruled.

The Panel considered that the advertisement in The Big Issue in March 2017 promoted Tor-Bac to the public prior to the grant of its marketing authorization which was expected in June 2017. The Panel noted the company's explanation that the packshot had been provided by mistake. In the Panel's view the publication of the advertisement demonstrated a lack of care and awareness of the Code on matters that reflected UK law. The Panel considered that Tor Generics had thus brought discredit upon and reduced confdence in the pharmaceutical industry and a breach of Clause 2 was ruled.