Chiesi rapped for ABPI code breach
pharmafile | May 7, 2015 | News story | Medical Communications, Sales and Marketing | ABPI, Chiesi, PMCPA
Chiesi made its sales reps go through a ‘tick-box’ compliance training exercise to get the pharma industry regulator ‘off its back’ – according to a public reprimand by the industry standards watchdog.
The Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA) ruled that the firm is guilty of a breach of clause 9.1 of the ABPI code – failing to maintain high standards at all times.
The complaint was filed by an anonymous sales rep, who alleged that the company had provided standard operating procedure (SOP) training for a primary care sales team, which was run by a regional business manager.
But the complainant has argued the company had only offered reps the training “because Chiesi was to be audited by the PMCPA” and that “delegates were told that the training was a ‘tick box exercise to get [the PMCPA] off [Chiesi’s] backs’.”
The rep alleged that the training was superficial and ‘very rushed’, and that a test given after training was in the form of a multiple-choice test that reps swapped among themselves for marking.
Reps who answered questions incorrectly were told to “rub or score out the wrong answers and then re-tick the correct box” – so that everyone who was present at the training session scored 100% marks.
The complainant had stated: “After the event everyone considered that the training was inadequate and a waste of time, especially as they were made to cheat to pretend that they had passed an examination that actually most of them failed.
“The SOP training was inadequate and was merely a ‘tick box’ exercise; it showed that Chiesi was not very ethical and did not take its SOP training seriously and was more worried about passing an audit than training its staff to a sufficient level in order to be an ethical pharmaceutical company and make its representatives fully conversant with the Code.”
The PMCPA panel noted that it had ‘concerns’ about the multiple choice test papers being swapped among the delegates, but felt that “there was insufficient evidence to support the complainant’s allegation that all of the delegates got some answers wrong and that everyone was a bit confused”.
But it ruled that ‘on the balance of probabilities’ that certain aspects of the training had been a tick box exercise – “and in that regard it considered that high standards had not been maintained”.
Chiesi is based in Cheadle, Greater Manchester and has around 250 employees. Earlier this year the PMCPA found the firm guilty of making misleading claims about its drug Fostair (formoterol/beclometasone) in its sales material. In 2013 the PMCPA launched an audit into Chiesi’s procedures after finding inaccurate information.
In a statement Chiesi says: “We take adherence to the ABPI Code very seriously and thoroughly investigate any alleged non-compliance. We have accepted the PMCPA’s ruling… and we have fully addressed these findings accordingly.”
Lilian Anekwe
Read the full PMCPA ruling here.
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