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Clause 15 Representatives
All provisions in the Code relating to the need for accuracy, balance, fairness, good taste etc apply equally to oral representations as well as to printed and electronic material. Representatives must not make claims or comparisons which are in any way inaccurate, misleading, disparaging, in poor taste etc, or which are outside the terms of the marketing authorization for the medicine or are inconsistent with the summary or product characteristics. Indications for which the medicine does not have a marketing authorization must not be promoted.
Attention is drawn to the provisions of Clause 9.9 which prohibit the use of the telephone, text messages, email, telemessages and facsimile etc for promotional purposes, except with the prior permission of the recipient.
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Clause 15 Contract Representatives
Companies employing or using contract representatives are responsible for their conduct and must ensure that they comply with the provisions of this and all other relevant clauses in the Code, and in particular the training requirements under Clauses 15.1, 16.1 and 16.3.
15.1 Representatives must be given adequate training and have sufficient scientific knowledge to enable them to provide full and accurate information about the medicines which they promote.
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Applicable Code year
Applicable Code year
Please check the date of the Code that applies to the Case that you are looking at. The date of the complaint may vary from the activity/material alleged to have been in breach.
AUTH/3299/1/20 - Complainant v Novo Nordisk
Breach: 2, 9.1, 7.2, 15.1, 15.9, 26.2
No breach: 2, 3.2, 4.1, 7.3, 7.4, 7.9, 9.1, 14.1, 14.3, 14.5, 15.2, 16.1, 18.1, 18.2, 29
Applicable Code:
2019
Received: 19 January 2020
Completed: 15 July 2020
AUTH/3258/10/19 - Complainant ex-employee v Novo Nordisk
Breach: 7.1, 9.1
No breach: 2, 4.1, 7.1, 7.2, 7.5, 9.1, 12.1, 15.1, 15.2, 15.7, 15.8, 15.9
Applicable Code:
2019
Received: 10 October 2019
Completed: 18 May 2020
15.2 Representatives must at all times maintain a high standard of ethical conduct in the discharge of their duties and must comply with all relevant requirements of the Code.
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Applicable Code year
Applicable Code year
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AUTH/3332/4/20 - Anonymous v Sobi
No breach: 2, 9.1, 15.2, 15.9
Applicable Code:
2019
Received: 18 April 2020
Completed: 26 November 2020
AUTH/3288/12/19 - NHS Worker v Biogen
No breach: 2, 9.1, 12.1, 15.2, 26.1, 26.2
Applicable Code:
2019
Received: 13 December 2019
Completed: 16 September 2020
AUTH/3268/10/19 - Pharmacist v Merck Serono
Breach: 2, 9.1, 9.10, 15.2, 15.4
No breach: 2, 3.2, 7.2, 9.1, 9.10, 15.2, 18.1, 20, 21
Applicable Code:
2019
Received: 24 October 2019
Completed: 14 August 2020
AUTH/3299/1/20 - Complainant v Novo Nordisk
Breach: 2, 9.1, 7.2, 15.1, 15.9, 26.2
No breach: 2, 3.2, 4.1, 7.3, 7.4, 7.9, 9.1, 14.1, 14.3, 14.5, 15.2, 16.1, 18.1, 18.2, 29
Applicable Code:
2019
Received: 19 January 2020
Completed: 15 July 2020
AUTH/3202/6/19 - Pharmacist v Napp
Breach: 9.1, 15.9
No breach: 2, 3.2, 15.2, 15.9
Applicable Code:
2019
Received: 06 June 2019
Completed: 10 June 2020
AUTH/3258/10/19 - Complainant ex-employee v Novo Nordisk
Breach: 7.1, 9.1
No breach: 2, 4.1, 7.1, 7.2, 7.5, 9.1, 12.1, 15.1, 15.2, 15.7, 15.8, 15.9
Applicable Code:
2019
Received: 10 October 2019
Completed: 18 May 2020
AUTH/3261/10/19 - Complainant v Novo Nordisk
No breach: 2, 9.1, 12.1, 15.2
Applicable Code:
2019
Received: 12 October 2019
Completed: 03 April 2020
AUTH/3245/9/19 - Anonymous GP (assisted by an Ex Employee) v Novo Nordisk
Breach: 7.2, 9.1
No breach: 2, 3.2, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 7.10, 8.1, 9.1, 15.2, 15.9
Applicable Code:
2019
Received: 23 September 2019
Completed: 11 March 2020
AUTH/3283/11/19 and AUTH/3284/11/19 - CCG Senior Pharmacist v Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer
Breach: 2, 7.2, 8.1, 15.2
No breach: 7.3, 9.1
Applicable Code:
2019
Received: 13 November 2019
Completed: 09 March 2020
AUTH/3264/10/19 - Anonymous v Merz
Breach: 9.1, 15.2
No breach: 2, 3.1, 9.1, 15.2
Applicable Code:
2019
Received: 24 October 2019
Completed: 13 February 2020
AUTH/3198/5/19 - Complainant v Novo Nordisk
Breach: 14.1, 15.2
No breach: 2, 3.2, 7.2, 7.4, 9.1
Applicable Code:
2019
Received: 07 May 2019
Completed: 19 December 2019
AUTH/3172/3/19 - Anonymous v Sandoz
No breach: 2, 9.1, 12.1, 15.2, 18.1
Applicable Code:
2019
Received: 18 March 2019
Completed: 18 September 2019
AUTH/3208/6/19 - Member of the public v Merz
Breach: 9.1, 15.2, 26.1
No breach: 2
Applicable Code:
2019
Received: 19 June 2019
Completed: 12 September 2019
15.3 Representatives must not employ any inducement or subterfuge to gain an interview. No fee should be paid or offered for the grant of an interview.
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Clause 15.3 Hospitality and Payments for Meetings
Attention is drawn to the requirements of Clauses 18 and 22 which prohibit the provision of any financial inducement for the purposes of sales promotion and require that any hospitality provided is secondary to the purpose of a meeting, is not out of proportion to the occasion and does not extend beyond members of the health professions or other relevant decision makers.
Meetings organised for groups of doctors, other health professionals and/or other relevant decision makers which are wholly or mainly of a social or sporting nature are unacceptable.
Representatives organising meetings are permitted to provide appropriate hospitality and/or to meet any reasonable, actual costs which may have been incurred. For example, if the refreshments have been organised and paid for by a medical practice the cost may be reimbursed as long as it is reasonable in relation to what was provided and the refreshments themselves were appropriate for the occasion.
Donations in lieu of hospitality are unacceptable as they are inducements for the purpose of holding a meeting. If hospitality is not required at a meeting there is no obligation or right to provide some benefit of an equivalent value.
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Clause 15.3 Donations to Charities
Donations to charities in return for representatives gaining interviews are prohibited under Clause 15.3.
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Clause 15.3 Items Delivered by Representatives
Reply paid cards which refer to representatives delivering items to health professionals or other relevant decision makers should explain that there is no obligation to grant the representative an interview when the items are delivered. This is to avoid the impression that there is such an obligation, which would be contrary to Clause 15.3 which prohibits the use of any inducement or subterfuge to gain an interview.
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Clause 15.3 Health Professionals’ Codes of Conduct
The General Medical Council, the General Pharmaceutical Council and the Code of the Nursing & Midwifery Council, set out requirements for doctors, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, nurses and midwives. Further details are given in the supplementary information to Clauses 18.1 and 22.
15.4 Representatives must ensure that the frequency, timing and duration of calls on health professionals and other relevant decision makers in hospitals and NHS and other organisations, together with the manner in which they are made, do not cause inconvenience. The wishes of individuals on whom representatives wish to call and the arrangements in force at any particular establishment, must be observed.
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Clause 15.4 Frequency and Manner of Calls on Doctors and Other Prescribers
The number of calls made on a doctor or other prescriber and the intervals between successive visits are relevant to the determination of frequency.
Companies should arrange that intervals between visits do not cause inconvenience. The number of calls made on a doctor or other prescriber by a representative each year should not normally exceed three on average. This does not include the following which may be additional to those three visits:
- attendance at group meetings, including audio-visual presentations and the like
- a visit which is requested by a doctor or other prescriber or a call which is made in order to respond to a specific enquiry
- a visit to follow up a report of an adverse reaction.
Representatives must always endeavour to treat prescribers’ time with respect and give them no cause to believe that their time might have been wasted. If for any unavoidable reasons, an appointment cannot be kept, the longest possible notice must be given.
When briefing representatives companies should distinguish clearly between expected call rates and expected contact rates.Contacts include those at group meetings, visits requested by doctors or other prescribers, visits in response to specific enquiries and visits to follow up adverse reaction reports. Targets must be realistic and not such that representatives breach the Code in order to meet them.
most recent cases
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Applicable Code year
Applicable Code year
Please check the date of the Code that applies to the Case that you are looking at. The date of the complaint may vary from the activity/material alleged to have been in breach.
AUTH/3268/10/19 - Pharmacist v Merck Serono
Breach: 2, 9.1, 9.10, 15.2, 15.4
No breach: 2, 3.2, 7.2, 9.1, 9.10, 15.2, 18.1, 20, 21
Applicable Code:
2019
Received: 24 October 2019
Completed: 14 August 2020
15.5 In an interview, or when seeking an appointment for one, representatives must at the outset take reasonable steps to ensure that they do not mislead as to their identity or that of the company they represent.
15.6 Representatives must transmit forthwith to the scientific service referred to in Clause 25.1 any information which they receive in relation to the use of the medicines which they promote, particularly reports of adverse reactions.
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15.7 Representatives must be paid a fixed basic salary and any addition proportional to sales of medicines must not constitute an undue proportion of their remuneration.
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Applicable Code year
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AUTH/3258/10/19 - Complainant ex-employee v Novo Nordisk
Breach: 7.1, 9.1
No breach: 2, 4.1, 7.1, 7.2, 7.5, 9.1, 12.1, 15.1, 15.2, 15.7, 15.8, 15.9
Applicable Code:
2019
Received: 10 October 2019
Completed: 18 May 2020
15.8 Representatives must provide, or have available to provide if requested, a copy of the summary of product characteristics for each medicine which they are to promote.
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Clause 15.8 Provision of Summary of Product Characteristics
The requirement to provide a copy of the summary of product characteristics can be met by the provision of an electronic copy if the recipient agrees.
If discussion on a medicine is initiated by the person or persons on whom a representative calls, the representative is not obliged to have available the information on that medicine referred to in this clause.
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Applicable Code year
Applicable Code year
Please check the date of the Code that applies to the Case that you are looking at. The date of the complaint may vary from the activity/material alleged to have been in breach.
AUTH/3258/10/19 - Complainant ex-employee v Novo Nordisk
Breach: 7.1, 9.1
No breach: 2, 4.1, 7.1, 7.2, 7.5, 9.1, 12.1, 15.1, 15.2, 15.7, 15.8, 15.9
Applicable Code:
2019
Received: 10 October 2019
Completed: 18 May 2020
15.9 Companies must prepare detailed briefing material for medical representatives on the technical aspects of each medicine which they will promote. A copy of such material must be made available to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority on request. Briefing material must comply with the relevant requirements of the Code and, in particular, is subject to the certification requirements of Clause 14.
Briefing material must not advocate, either directly or indirectly, any course of action which would be likely to lead to a breach of the Code.
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Clause 15.9 Briefing Material
The detailed briefing material referred to in this clause consists of both the training material used to instruct medical representatives about a medicine and the instructions given to them as to how the product should be promoted.
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Applicable Code year
Applicable Code year
Please check the date of the Code that applies to the Case that you are looking at. The date of the complaint may vary from the activity/material alleged to have been in breach.
AUTH/3332/4/20 - Anonymous v Sobi
No breach: 2, 9.1, 15.2, 15.9
Applicable Code:
2019
Received: 18 April 2020
Completed: 26 November 2020
AUTH/3299/1/20 - Complainant v Novo Nordisk
Breach: 2, 9.1, 7.2, 15.1, 15.9, 26.2
No breach: 2, 3.2, 4.1, 7.3, 7.4, 7.9, 9.1, 14.1, 14.3, 14.5, 15.2, 16.1, 18.1, 18.2, 29
Applicable Code:
2019
Received: 19 January 2020
Completed: 15 July 2020
AUTH/3202/6/19 - Pharmacist v Napp
Breach: 9.1, 15.9
No breach: 2, 3.2, 15.2, 15.9
Applicable Code:
2019
Received: 06 June 2019
Completed: 10 June 2020
AUTH/3258/10/19 - Complainant ex-employee v Novo Nordisk
Breach: 7.1, 9.1
No breach: 2, 4.1, 7.1, 7.2, 7.5, 9.1, 12.1, 15.1, 15.2, 15.7, 15.8, 15.9
Applicable Code:
2019
Received: 10 October 2019
Completed: 18 May 2020
AUTH/3245/9/19 - Anonymous GP (assisted by an Ex Employee) v Novo Nordisk
Breach: 7.2, 9.1
No breach: 2, 3.2, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 7.10, 8.1, 9.1, 15.2, 15.9
Applicable Code:
2019
Received: 23 September 2019
Completed: 11 March 2020
AUTH/3161/2/19 - Employee v Leo Pharma
Breach: 15.9
No breach: 2, 9.1, 9.9, 14.1, 15.6, 15.9, 19.1, 19.2
Applicable Code:
2016
Received: 19 February 2019
Completed: 18 June 2019
AUTH/2828/3/16 - Clinical Nurse Specialist v Vifor
Conduct of representatives
Breach: 2, 7.2, 7.4, 7.9, 9.1, 9.9, 15.2, 15.9
No breach: 15.4
Applicable Code:
2016
Received: 21 March 2016
Completed: 07 December 2016
15.10 Companies are responsible for the activities of their representatives if these are within the scope of their employment even if they are acting contrary to the instructions which they have been given.