Sanctions

In each case where a breach of the Code is ruled, the company concerned must give an undertaking that the practice in question has ceased forthwith and that all possible steps have been taken to avoid a similar breach in the future. An undertaking must be accompanied by details of the action taken to implement the ruling. At the conclusion of a case, a detailed case report is published.

Additional sanctions can also be imposed. These can include:

  • Advertisements in the medical, nursing and pharmaceutical press*
  • An audit by the PMCPA of a company’s procedures to comply with the Code. This can be followed by a requirement that promotional material be submitted to the PMCPA for pre-vetting for a specified period
  • The company is required to take steps to recover items from those to whom they were given
  • Reports can be made to the Code of Practice Appeal Board, and the ABPI Board
  • The company to issue a corrective statement
  • A public reprimand to be published
  • Suspension or expulsion from membership of the ABPI.

*The PMCPA advertises in the British Medical Journal and the Nursing Standard brief details of all cases where companies are ruled in breach of Clause 2 of the Code, where companies are required to issue a corrective statement, or are the subject of a public reprimand. Advertisements are also published on this website.