Novo Nordisk reported over ‘national pharmacy’ weight-loss drug sponsorships
Novo Nordisk induced multiple “large” pharmacy chains to prescribe one of its weight loss drugs by providing “free of charge” sharps bins, needles and injection-pen travel wallets, the prescription medicine self-regulatory body has found.
The Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA) this summer (August 12) revealed that it was “concerned” about “integral” parts of weight loss drug manufacturer Novo Nordisk’s UK pharmacy chain sponsorships.
The PMCPA said that it had received a complaint about the manufacturer from an “anonymous and non-contactable complainant who described themselves as a health professional”.
The whistleblower claimed Novo Nordisk “had paid significant amounts of sponsorship money to large national pharmacy chains” and that the funding was “used to actively and aggressively promote its services and the prescription medicines” – “specifically” GLP-1 RA weight-loss drug Saxenda.
The manufacturer “did not agree” that its “sponsorship activities amounted to promotion to the public” and said “there was no intended or actual inducement to prescribe associated with these sponsorships”, the case report said.
But a PMCPA panel found that Novo Nordisk’s sponsorship contract with two pharmacy chains included the “provision free of charge of needles…sharps bins…and travel wallets”
It said “on balance”, the manufacturers “defrayment of the unavoidable cost in relation to the acquisition cost of the needles associated with a prescription of Novo Nordisk medicine(s) was therefore an inducement”.
“High standards had not been maintained and the panel therefore ruled a breach” of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI)’s code of practice, it said.
Nova Nordisk today (September 30) told C+D the company remains “committed to following the ABPI code of practice and maintaining the highest possible ethical standards required by the pharmaceutical industry”.
The company said it continues to “strengthen [its] compliance framework” and “focus [its] efforts “on achieving better outcomes” for patients.
“Very poor”
Case documents revealed that Novo Nordisk did admit “as a result of an inadvertent oversight” it had failed to disclose its sponsorship of one supermarket national pharmacy chain – a move that broke the ABPI’s transparency rules.
The panel also found that while Novo Nordisk said its sponsorships only supported “pre-existing weight management” services, one of its contracts included promises to “partially fund” a new “medicated weight loss programme”.
The report also said as part of its sponsorships Novo Nordisk required reports on pharmacy website traffic, “conversion and success rates, number of patients starting Saxenda, repeat prescriptions, the duration of treatment, geographical location and number of pens prescribed”.
Despite one of the sponsorship contracts including financial support “pay per click” google ads, it did not find “that Novo Nordisk had funded or was otherwise responsible” for promotional search results.
“The panel considered that the matters at issue were of serious concern bearing in mind the heightened public interest in and sensitivities around weight loss medication,” it said.
It found that “Novo Nordisk’s initial view that the arrangements were at arm’s length demonstrated a very poor understanding” of the code of conduct.
Weight-loss drug crack down
Last October, C+D revealed independent pharmacy contractors were facing “disgraceful” Wegovy purchasing quotas that allowed them to offer the jab to just “one weight loss patient…per month”.
They said that they were aware of Boots pharmacies that seemed to be able to access more stock than them.
Meanwhile C+D found one online pharmacy was able to purchase at least 10 times more stock.
At the time, a Boots spokesperson said that “Wegovy is one of the prescription medicines available” via the Boots Online Doctor weight loss treatment service.
Last month, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) launched a consultation into new guidance “requiring online pharmacies to put extra safeguards in place when prescribing or supplying” high-risk medicines like weight loss drugs.
And in May, the regulator hit three pharmacists with warnings after they provided “high-risk” medicine using “unsafe” online patient questionnaires.
Meanwhile earlier this month, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) told C+D that it is “removing around 100 posts” advertising prescription-only medicines (POMs) on social media “a day”.
And in June, health secretary Wes Streeting revealed plans for “much closer clinical oversight and regulation” around accessing weight loss drugs from online pharmacies, after C+D revealed that increasing numbers of people were turning up at A&E needing treatment after taking weight loss drugs.
