Sanofi has been given a reprimand by the UK's Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA), after admitting that it provided 21 UK patients with free tickets to the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games last year.
The company made the voluntary admission to the PMCPA, which administers the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry's (ABPI) code of practice, revealing that a "global affiliate" of the company operating in the vaccines area provided tickets to patients via an unidentified patient organisation.
The company said the matter came to light after the affiliate asked for information on how the ticket transfers should be disclosed in the UK, adding that an investigation has been started into what it said was an "isolated incident".
It has admitted breaching Clause 3.5 of the ABPI code, which prohibits the giving of gifts for personal benefit to individuals associated with a patient organisation, as well as a breach of Clause 5.1, which requires ABPI members to "maintain high standards" at all times.
After reviewing the case, the PMCPA also concluded that Sanofi had breached Clause 2 by "bringing discredit upon, and reducing confidence in, the pharmaceutical industry", after the drugmaker unsuccessfully argued that the severity of the infringement and its prompt, voluntary action meant it should not fall under that category.
The panel said that while the transfer of the tickets did not appear to be linked to the use of any Sanofi medicine or vaccine, and the recipients were not in roles that could make prescribing decisions about Sanofi medicines, "the overall impression of Sanofi paying for tickets for patients, via a patient organisation, was one which would likely have a negative effect on the reputation of the pharmaceutical industry."
According to the admission, Sanofi provided tickets with a total value of €2,190.00 to 21 UK-based patients and their carers/families, and did not provide any other gifts such as hospitality, travel or accommodation. It also said that the patient organisation had not benefited from the provision of tickets in any way.
Actions taken to prevent a similar incident from happening in future include additional training for global communications and corporate affairs teams, while the matter is being referred to Sanofi's human resources team to see if disciplinary action is needed.
https://pharmaphorum.com/news/sanofi-admits-giving-free-olympics-tickets-patients
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