
Vifor ad breaches Code
pharmafile | November 26, 2012 | News story | Sales and Marketing | ABPI, PMCPA, Vifor, ferinject
Vifor has been blasted after failing to adhere to an earlier ruling made under the ABPI’s Code of Practice.
Such a breach of undertaking always leads to the PMCPA’s most serious censure – that of breaking clause 2, which deals with bringing discredit to, and reducing confidence in, the pharma industry.
In case AUTH/2529/9/12, Vifor also fell foul of clauses 9.1 (failure to maintain high standards) and 25 (failing to comply with an undertaking) and those findings will be published in the February 2013 Review.
The whole thing came to light when an anonymous GP complained about adverts issued by Vifor, which had already been the subject of a voluntary admission by the company (case AUTH/2473/1/12).
Vifor had come clean then about the fact that three ads for Ferinject (ferric carboxymaltose) had not been certified before publication in international journals by its global colleagues, and the PMCPA panel ruled a breach of the Code.
While looking at this case, the panel had been ‘extremely concerned’ that the ads featured the misleading strapline ‘Mastering the art of iron therapy’, which had in turn been ruled in breach of the Code in another case (AUTH/2423/7/11) a year ago.
The panel which ruled then on Vifor’s voluntary admission could not take this further because the mea culpa from Vifor had only been about non-certification and, at that time, there was no complaint about the strapline from anyone else.
However, the GP who contacted the PMCPA in the latest case was making exactly that complaint having read the panel’s note about concerns in the summary of AUTH/2473/1/12 – leading to the new breaches of clauses 2, 9.1 and 25.
The panel says it is “very unusual to receive a subsequent complaint about such a matter”. Vifor did not appeal.
Adam Hill
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