Press Release

According to an article in the Financial Times, Roche UK have decided not to renew their membership of the ABPI (Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry). This follows the company being suspended last year for serious breaches of practice relating to selling its slimming drug Xenical, and also issues around incentives to patients taking its cystic fibrosis drug.

This new move highlights the recurring question of what the organisation can do when a member company breaches its code of practice, when it has no power other than to suspend its members?

A Roche statement in the FT said it had “decided not to rejoin the ABPI for the time being” and that it would continue to work within the code of practice.

Roche is pleased that the ABPI Board of Management lifted Roche’s suspension from the ABPI on 16th February 2009.

In line with any commercial business we continually review our operations, and our time away from the ABPI has enabled us to reflect upon the nature of this relationship and consideration of mutual needs for the future. We have concluded that this is something we need to review further and for that reason, we have decided not to re-join the ABPI for the time being. We will continue to review this situation.

This decision in no way affects our commitment to our working practices and we are still committed to, and will be accountable for working within the ABPI Code of Practice to ensure compliance with the high standards of our industry. In line with the significant growth of the company, we have strengthened our processes and procedures around compliance and now have a dedicated compliance team of eight staff. We have conducted a thorough review of the way in which we operate and reviewed and strengthened 16 standard operating procedures. We have also prioritised detailed compliance training with staff so they fully understand the Code of Practice and the company’s internal policies and procedures for complying with the Code.

This work will continue and compliance remains a top priority for Roche now and in the future.

For more information:
http://www.rocheuk.com/portal/eipf/united_kingdom/uk_portal/rocheuk#ready

Last updated on: 27/08/2010 11:40:18