The company that makes the weight-loss pill Wegovy was banned from the United Kingdom’s trade body following a dispute about weight loss courses sponsored by the association that were promoting its drugs.
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) announced that an extensive inquiry of the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA) concluded that Novo Nordisk to be in violation of the ABPI Code of Practice.
The ABPI declared that this contained a section on the actions “likely likely to discredit the industry, or undermine trust in the industry of pharmaceuticals”.
In the end, the Danish company was suspended from membership in the ABPI for a period of 2 years and a return to full membership contingent on additional reviews in 2023 and 2024. They require an improvement that is sustained and significant to standard industry practices. The patients will be eligible to receive the medicines manufactured through Novo Nordisk, such as Saxenda.
The news is significant not just for the reason that Novo Nordisk has received heavy coverage in the media over recent weeks regarding the decision to approve Wegovy to be used in the NHS and also because leader of ABPI’s board until the end of the end of last month, was Pinder Sahota, the general director and vice-president for corporate of Novo Nordisk UK.
Sahota was removed from the ABPI in February, to avoid the dispute from “becoming an obstacle to the essential work of the ABPI”.
In an interim report of the code of conduct appeals board, which was released prior to the conclusion of the PMCPA inquiry, the controversy centers around Novo Norisk’s sponsorship of a no-cost weight-management course that was first spotted on LinkedIn and a second in its weight-loss strategies called Saxenda and is sometimes referred to as Liraglutide.
One of the main concerns raised by the complaintant was the fact that Novo Nordisk did not make the case that it made the payments for the course, or even that they were promotional events.
The company also stated that a one of the services Novo Nordisk was offering individual healthcare professionals was a group orientation (PGD) that could allow users to administer the medication without the need for a prescription from a physician or any other physician.
“This was a valuable service and was given to people for their advantage to operate private clinics, which involved offering health care professionals bribes as the promise of prescribing,” the report states as it outlines the concerns of the complainant.
The first ABPI inquiry was extremely negative of Novo Nordisk, and the agency issued the company with a the company with a public apology in December.
“The appeals panel was worried in the sense that Novo Nordisk did not recognise the fact that it was a massive Saxenda advertising campaign that Novo Nordisk knowingly paid for and concealed,” the reprimand said.
“Novo Nordisk was allegedly unable to recognize that the material of the webinars it provided, which was centered on its drug Saxenda and was clearly marketing and did not recognize the fact that the plans, such as participation by Novo Nordisk representatives at the webcasts and the later follow-ups with attendees, made it impossible for the program to be considered an arms-length sponsorship. They also didn’t recognize that a portion of the costs of a directed group (PGD) was an incentive which was provided to individuals health professionals. It was an incentive.”
Novo Nordisk was also told they would need to pass an audit. This is now resulting in its suspension of the ABPI.
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The Novo Nordisk spokesperson said: “While we’re disappointed by the outcome, we are able to accept this decision.
“We will work to further strengthen our framework for compliance and stay determined to adhere to the ABPI code of ethics and ensuring the most high standards of ethics required by the pharmaceutical industry.
“Novo Nordisk will continue concentrate our efforts towards achieving higher outcomes and bettering the quality of life for those suffering from serious chronic diseases.”
The decision comes just days following an Observer investigation found evidence of an “orchestrated public relations advertising campaign” from Novo Nordisk over its weight-loss criticisms. It paid out millions to notable organizations for obesity, NHS trusts, universities and other institutions and also professionals, including experts on obesity.
It is not clear if these payments violated any laws However, they’ve prompted people to demand tighter restrictions on the payment made to pharmaceutical businesses.
Novo Nordisk said it worked in an “transparent ethical and transparent manner” that was in accordance with “strict regulation frameworks”.
“The assertion the fact that Novo Nordisk has deliberately acted in a manner that is not ethical or legally guidelines and procedures is false and misleading.” it stated.