ABPI Rebukes Four Drugmakers for Breaching Group’s Code of Practice

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry found four drugmakers — Celgene, Takeda, Vifor Pharma and Pierre Fabre — violated the group’s code of practice by engaging in activities ranging from inadequate quality management to deceptive drug promotion.

French drugmaker Pierre Fabre breached two clauses in the code when the company failed to check the quality of bags stored in the company’s basement before supplying them to pharmacies that dispensed its cancer drug Navelbine, the association said.

Promotional content produced by Celgene and Vifor Pharma violated eight clauses in the code, including “failing to maintain a high standard of ethical conduct.” The ABPI said Vifor Pharma created promotional content that contained misleading claims about competitor products and raised questions about their safety.

Celgene admitted to creating promotional material for the company’s psoriasis drug Otezla that marketed the prescription-only medicine to the public in breach of the ABPI’s code.

Takeda spent company funds to convince a health professional to prescribe one of its drugs, which violated four clauses in the code, the ABPI said.