Advert - Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Limited - Case AUTH/3861/12/23

For the cumulative effect of incorrectly using the EMA SPC, circulation of a disguised promotional email, by a third-party medical publisher, in November 2023 and failures of the company’s internal governance processes, Novartis was ruled in breach of the following clauses of the 2021 Code:

Clause 2 - Bringing discredit upon, and reducing confidence in, the pharmaceutical industry
Clause 5.1 - Failing to maintain high standards
Clause 5.5 - Failing to be sufficiently clear as to the company’s role and involvement
Clause 11.2 -Promoting a medicine for an unlicensed indication
Clause 12.1 -Failing to include up-to-date prescribing information
Clause 12.10 -Failing to include a black triangle adjacent to the first mention of the product in digital material
Clause 15.6 - Disguising promotional material