Clause 8
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8.1

(14.1) Promotional material must not be issued unless its final form, to which no subsequent amendments will be made, has been certified by one person on behalf of the company in the manner provided for by this clause, subject to the provisions of the supplementary information to this clause where relevant. This person must be a registered medical practitioner or a pharmacist registered in the UK or alternatively, in the case of a product for dental use only, a UK registered dentist.

The person certifying on behalf of the company must not be the person responsible for developing or drawing up the material.

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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/3852/11/23 - Voluntary admission by AbbVie Breach: 5.1, 8.1 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 25 October 2023 Completed: 06 September 2024 AUTH/3867/12/23 - Complainant v Novo Nordisk Breach: 3.6, 5.1, 8.1 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 19 December 2023 Completed: 14 August 2024 AUTH/3788/6/23 - Complainant v AstraZeneca Allegations about promotion of an AstraZeneca microsite in a third-party email Breach: 3.6, 5.5, 8.1 No breach: 5.1 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 30 June 2023 Completed: 23 July 2024 AUTH/3734/2/23 - Complainant v Valneva Breach: 5.1, 8.1, 12.9, 15.6 No breach: 2, 26.1 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 10 February 2023 Completed: 04 June 2024 AUTH/3761/4/23 - Complainant v Samsung Bioepis Breach: 3.1, 5.1, 8.1 No breach: 16.1, 26.1 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 05 April 2023 Completed: 08 May 2024 AUTH/3707/11/22 - Complainant v AstraZeneca Breach: 5.1, 8.1, 8.6, 12.9, 26.1 No breach: 2 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 16 November 2022 Completed: 05 March 2024 AUTH/3742/2/23 - Voluntary admission by Takeda UK Limited Breach: 3.1, 5.1, 8.1, 11.1, 26.1 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 16 February 2023 Completed: 29 November 2023 AUTH/3684/8/22 - Complainant v Bayer Breach: 3.2, 5.1, 8.1, 12.1, 12.9, 16.1, 26.1, 26.2 No breach: 2, 12.8, 13.2, 13.6, 24.4 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 11 August 2022 Completed: 22 September 2023 AUTH/3689/8/22 - Voluntary admission by CSL Vifor Breach: 5.1, 8.1, 8.4 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 05 September 2022 Completed: 30 August 2023 AUTH/3645/5/22 - Complainant v Proveca Breach: 5.1, 8.1, 11.2, 12.1, 12.3, 12.6, 12.9 No breach: 2, 5.1, 12.3, 26.1, 26.2 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 12 May 2022 Completed: 29 June 2023 AUTH/3661/6/22 - Complainant v AstraZeneca Breach: 8.1 No breach: 2, 3.3, 5.1 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 17 June 2022 Completed: 02 June 2023 AUTH/3623/3/22 - Complainant v Aimmune Breach: 3.2, 3.4, 5.1, 5.6, 8.1, 12.1, 12.4, 12.6, 12.8, 12.9, 12.10, 16.1, 26.1 No breach: 2 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 15 March 2022 Completed: 24 March 2023 AUTH/3641/4/22 - Complainant v Teva Breach: 5.1, 8.1, 12.6 No breach: 2, 5.1, 8.1, 26.2 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 28 April 2022 Completed: 23 March 2023 AUTH/3615/3/22 - Complainant v Daiichi Sankyo Breach: 8.1, 8.3 No breach: 2, 5.1 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 10 March 2022 Completed: 02 December 2022 AUTH/3561/9/21 - Ex-employee v AstraZeneca Breach: 2, 5.1, 6.1, 8.1, 11.2, 26.1, 26.2 No breach: 3.1, 11.1, 26.1 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 24 September 2021 Completed: 19 August 2022 AUTH/3552/8/21 - Health professional v Roche Breach: 5.2, 8.1, 12.6, 12.9 No breach: 2, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, 6.2, 14.4 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 05 August 2021 Completed: 27 May 2022 AUTH/3786/6/23 - Complainant v AbbVie Breach: 5.1, 5.2, 26.1 No breach: 2, 3.3, 5.1, 8.1, 12.1, 12.3, 12.9 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 29 June 2023 Completed: 22 August 2024 AUTH/3773/6/23 - Complainant v Astellas No breach: 5.1, 8.1 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 05 June 2023 Completed: 30 May 2024 AUTH/3739/2/23 - Complainant v Valneva UK Limited Breach: 12.1 No breach: 2, 5.1, 8.1, 8.6, 12.1, 12.9, 15.5, 15.6 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 13 February 2023 Completed: 06 March 2024 AUTH/3697/10/22 - Complainant v AstraZeneca No breach: 6.1, 6.6, 8.1, 9.1 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 14 October 2022 Completed: 28 September 2023 AUTH/3658/6/22 - Complainant v Novartis No breach: 2, 5.1, 8.1, 11.2 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 13 June 2022 Completed: 19 June 2023 AUTH/3667/6/22 - Health professional v Roche No breach: 2, 5.1, 8.1, 11.2 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 26 June 2022 Completed: 14 June 2023 AUTH/3654/5/22 - Health professional v Novartis Breach: 5.1, 6.1, 12.1 No breach: 2, 5.1, 6.1, 8.1 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 23 May 2022 Completed: 25 May 2023 AUTH/3625/3/22 - Complainant v Allergan No breach: 2, 8.1, 12.1, 12.3, 12.6, 12.9, 15, 16, 26.1, 26.2 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 20 March 2022 Completed: 12 April 2023 AUTH/3632/4/22 - Complainant v Daiichi Sankyo – Allegations about a Lixiana webinar No breach: 2, 5.1, 6.1, 6.2, 8.1 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 11 April 2022 Completed: 03 April 2023 AUTH/3626/3/22 - Complainant v Novartis Breach: 5.1, 12.1 No breach: 2, 5.1, 8.1, 13.7, 15.5 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 31 March 2022 Completed: 29 March 2023 AUTH/3711/11/22 - Complainant v Novo Nordisk Breach: 5.1, 5.5 No breach: 2, 3.3, 5.1, 5.5, 8.1, 12.1, 15.6 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 21 November 2022 Completed: 09 March 2023 AUTH/3584/11/21 - Health Professional v Roche No breach: 2, 5.1, 8.1, 12.1, 12.3, 12.6, 12.8, 12.9, 12.10, 26.1, 26.2 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 22 November 2021 Completed: 15 December 2022 AUTH/3573/10/21 - Complainant v GlaxoSmithKline Breach: 5.1, 26.1, 26.2 No breach: 2, 5.1, 8.1, 9.1, 11.1, 12.1, 12.9 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 27 October 2021 Completed: 07 September 2022 AUTH/3567/10/21 - Employee v Zogenix No breach: 2, 5.1, 8.1, 8.2, 19.1, 24.2 Applicable Code: 2021 Received: 04 October 2021 Completed: 11 August 2022

8.2

(14.2) All events/meetings involving travel outside the UK, unless the company’s only involvement is to support a speaker to present at the meeting, must be certified in advance as set out in Clause 8.1 or by an appropriately qualified person signatory (AQP signatory). That person does not need to be either a registered medical practitioner or a pharmacist registered in the UK.

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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.

8.3

(14.3) The following must be certified in advance in a manner similar to that provided for by Clause 8.1:

• educational material for the public or patients issued by companies which relates to diseases or medicines but is not intended as promotion for those medicines

• material relating to working with patient organisations as described in Clause 27 and its supplementary information

• material relating to collaborative working as described in Clause 20 and its supplementary information

• material and items for patient support whether provided directly to patients or to health professionals to be passed on to patients as described in Clauses 19.2, 26.3 and associated supplementary information

• the written agreement for donations and grants, including where relevant internal company and service provider instructions as described in Clause 23 and its supplementary information

• (25.2) protocols relating to non-interventional studies.

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8.4

(14.4) The names of those nominated as signatories as set out in Clauses 8.1 and 8.2, together with their qualifications, must be notified in advance to the Advertising Standards and Outreach Unit, Vigilance and Risk Management of Medicines Division of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and to the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA). Changes in the names of nominees must be promptly notified.

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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.

8.5

(14.5) The certificate for promotional material must certify that the signatory has examined the final form of the material to ensure that in their belief it is:

• in accordance with the requirements of the relevant regulations relating to advertising and this Code

• not inconsistent with the marketing authorisation and the summary of product characteristics

• a fair and truthful presentation of the facts about the medicine.

The certificate for material covered by Clause 8.3 above must certify that the signatory has examined the final form of the material to ensure that in their belief it complies with the Code.
Material which is still in use must be recertified at intervals of no more than two years to ensure that it continues to conform with the relevant regulations relating to advertising and the Code.
The certificate for events/meetings involving travel outside the UK must certify that the signatory has examined all the proposed arrangements and that, in their belief, they are in accordance with the relevant regulations relating to advertising and the Code.

most recent cases See all Applicable Code year
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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.

8.6

(14.6) Companies must preserve certificates. Material in the form certified and information indicating the persons to whom it was addressed, the method of dissemination and the date of first dissemination must also be preserved. In relation to certificates for events/meetings involving travel outside the UK, details of the programme, the venue, the reasons for using the venue, the audience, the anticipated and actual costs and the nature of the hospitality and the like must also be preserved.

Companies must preserve certificates and the relevant accompanying information for not less than three years after the final use of the material or the date of the event/meeting and produce them on request from the MHRA or the PMCPA.