Clause 12 - Disguised Promotion

Clause

12.1 Promotional material and activities must not be disguised.

  • Clause 12.1 Disguised Promotional Material

    Promotional material sent in the guise of personal communications, for example by using envelopes or postcards addressed in real or facsimile handwriting, is inappropriate. Envelopes must not be used for the dispatch of promotional material if they bear words implying that the contents are non-promotional, for example that the contents provide information relating to safety. Similarly, promotional material sent electronically such as emails must not give the impression that it is non-promotional. In addition the identity of the responsible pharmaceutical  company must be obvious.

    When a company pays for, or otherwise secures or arranges the publication of promotional material in journals, such material must not resemble independent editorial matter. Care must be taken with company sponsored reports of meetings and the like to ensure that they are not disguised promotion. Sponsorship must be declared in accordance with Clause 9.10.

     

most recent cases See all 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/3159/2/19 - Pharmacosmos v Vifor Breach: 12.1, 14.1 No breach: 2, 7.2, 9.1, 12.1 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 13 February 2019 Completed: 13 December 2019 AUTH/3174/3/19 - Anonymous Employees v Otsuka Europe Breach: 2, 9.1, 12.1 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 20 March 2019 Completed: 16 October 2019 AUTH/2979/9/17 - Anonymous, non-contactable complainant v PharmaMar Certification and Promotion of Yondelis Breach: 2, 3.2, 7.2, 7.4, 9.1, 12.1, 14.1 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 21 September 2017 Completed: 18 September 2019 AUTH/2976/9/17 - Hospital Consultant v AstraZeneca Email promotion of Qtern Breach: 7.2, 9.1, 9.9, 11.1, 12.1 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 09 September 2017 Completed: 20 November 2017 AUTH/2825/3/16 and AUTH/2826/3/16 - Janssen-Cilag v Boehringer Ingelheim and Lilly Promotion of Jardiance Breach: 2, 3.2, 9.1, 12.1 No breach: 1.12 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 03 March 2016 Completed: 12 October 2017 AUTH/2848/5/16 - Voluntary admission by Ferring Representative-facilitated letter Breach: 9.1, 12.1, 15.2 No breach: 2 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 26 May 2016 Completed: 22 July 2016 AUTH/2818/1/16 - Clinical Commissioning Group employee v Pfizer Email about a webinar Breach: 12.1, 22.4 No breach: 9.9, 11.2 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 05 January 2016 Completed: 19 February 2016 AUTH/3188/4/19 - Anonymous v Bayer Breach: 9.1 No breach: 2, 12.1, 19.2 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 30 April 2019 Completed: 14 October 2020 AUTH/3190/4/20 - Anonymous v Takeda No breach: 2, 9.1, 12.1, 19.2 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 30 April 2019 Completed: 14 October 2020 AUTH/3191/4/19 - Anonymous v Amgen No breach: 2, 9.1, 12.1, 19.2 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 30 April 2019 Completed: 14 October 2020 AUTH/3193/4/19 - Anonymous v Novartis No breach: 2, 9.1, 12.1, 19.2 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 30 April 2019 Completed: 14 October 2020 AUTH/3194/4/19 - Anonymous v GlaxoSmithKline No breach: 2, 9.1, 12.1, 19.2 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 30 April 2019 Completed: 14 October 2020 AUTH/3195/4/19 - Anonymous v Chiesi No breach: 2, 9.1, 12.1, 19.2 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 30 April 2019 Completed: 14 October 2020 AUTH/3197/4/19 - Anonymous v Ethypharm No breach: 2, 9.1, 12.1, 19.2 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 30 April 2019 Completed: 14 October 2020 AUTH/3173/3/19 - Anonymous v Novo Nordisk Breach: 15.2 No breach: 1.11, 2, 9.1, 9.10, 12.1, 26.1 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 18 March 2019 Completed: 14 October 2019 AUTH/3176/3/19 - Complainant v Orion Breach: 9.1, 9.10 No breach: 2, 4.1, 4.3, 4.4, 4.6, 4.8, 4.9, 12.1, 14.1 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 23 March 2019 Completed: 02 October 2019 AUTH/3130/12/18 - Anonymous v GlaxoSmithKline Breach: 9.1, 26.1, 26.2 No breach: 2, 9.1, 12.1, 22.1, 22.4 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 07 December 2018 Completed: 09 August 2019 AUTH/3168/2/19 - Complainant v Janssen Breach: 4.1, 4.6, 7.2, 7.9, 9.1 No breach: 2, 4.2, 4.1, 4.3, 4.4, 7.2, 12.1, 14.1 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 27 February 2019 Completed: 27 June 2019 AUTH/3167/2/19 - Complainant/Director v Novartis No breach: 2, 4.1, 9.1, 9.10, 12.1, 26.1, 29 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 27 February 2019 Completed: 18 June 2019 AUTH/3166/2/19 - Complainant v Sanofi Breach: 9.1, 14.5, 26.1, 26.2 No breach: 2, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.9, 9.9, 11.1, 12.1, 14.1, 16.1, 28.1, 28.6 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 27 February 2019 Completed: 11 June 2019 AUTH/3031/4/18 - Anonymous health professional v Gilead Breach: 3.2, 7.2, 9.1 No breach: 2, 3.2, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 8.1, 9.1, 12.1 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 19 April 2019 Completed: 03 June 2019 AUTH/3158/2/19 - Employee v Servier No breach: 2, 7.2, 7.4, 7.9, 9.1, 12.1, 15.9, 23.1, 25.1 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 05 February 2019 Completed: 30 May 2019 AUTH/3164/2/19 - Anonymous v Merck Sharp & Dohme No breach: 4.1, 9.1, 12.1 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 18 February 2019 Completed: 28 May 2019 AUTH/3112/11/18 - Complainant v Lilly Breach: 9.1 No breach: 4.6, 4.10, 12.1, 14.5 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 04 November 2018 Completed: 25 May 2019 AUTH/3154/2/19 - Anonymous contactable health professional v Dr Falk Pharma Breach: 4.1, 9.1 No breach: 2, 4.1, 4.3, 12.1 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 04 February 2019 Completed: 24 May 2019 AUTH/2970/8/17 - Anonymous v Janssen Promotional email Breach: 9.1, 15.2 No breach: 2, 7.2, 7.4, 9.1, 12.1, 16.1 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 10 August 2017 Completed: 01 February 2018 AUTH/2988/10/17 - Employee v Otsuka Manager’s use of LinkedIn to promote medicines Breach: 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 7.2, 9.1, 14.1, 26.1 No breach: 1.2, 2, 9.10, 12.1, 22, 26.1 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 31 October 2017 Completed: 25 January 2018 AUTH/2849/6/16 - Consultant oncologist and pharmacist v Lilly Oncology handbook Breach: 2, 7.2, 7.4, 9.1 No breach: 2, 9.1, 9.10, 12.1 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 03 June 2016 Completed: 07 November 2016 AUTH/2852/6/16 - Ex-employee v Grunenthal Medical science liaisons’ working practices No breach: 2, 3.2, 9.1, 11.1, 12.1, 15.2, 15.4, 15.9 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 20 June 2016 Completed: 14 September 2016 AUTH/2845/5/16 - CSL Behring v Swedish Orphan Biovitrum Charity Ball No breach: 2, 9.1, 12.1, 18.1, 22.1 Applicable Code: 2016 Received: 12 May 2016 Completed: 18 August 2016

12.2 Market research activities, clinical assessments, post-marketing surveillance and experience programmes, post-authorization studies (including those that are retrospective in nature) and the like must not be disguised promotion. They must be conducted with a primarily scientific or educational purpose.

  • Clause 12.2 Non-Interventional Studies of Marketed Medicines

    The conduct of non-interventional studies of marketed medicines is dealt with in Clause 13.

  • Clause 12.2 Market Research

    Market research is the collection and analysis of information and must be unbiased and non-promotional. The use to which the statistics or information is put may be promotional. The two phases must be kept distinct.

    Attention is drawn to the Legal & Ethical Guidelines for Healthcare Market Research produced by the British Healthcare Business Intelligence Association in consultation with the ABPI.

    Market research material should be examined to ensure that it does not contravene the Code.

    Where market research is carried out by an agency on behalf of a pharmaceutical company, the agency must reveal the name of its client to the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority when the Authority requests it to do so. When commissioning market research, a company must take steps to ensure that its identity would be so made known to the Authority should a request for that information be made.