In London on March 17, Reuters reported that Novo Nordisk, a Danish company, has had its membership reinstated in a UK pharmaceutical industry organization after a two-year suspension for breaching a national code of practice for drug manufacturers.
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry announced on Monday that it was satisfied with Novo Nordisk's enhanced compliance and governance protocols following an audit by the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority. The audit confirmed that Novo Nordisk had taken necessary measures to ensure adherence to the code.
In 2023, Novo Nordisk's membership was suspended for failing to disclose its participation in training related to obesity drugs offered to pharmacists on LinkedIn. That same year, fueled by the success of its obesity drug Wegovy and diabetes drug Ozempic, Novo Nordisk became Europe's most valuable company, outshining LVMH, the French luxury group.
During the audit prompted by the suspension, the PMCPA publicly cited Novo Nordisk twice for additional code violations, including inadequate documentation and reporting of payments made to individuals such as patients and journalists.
Novo Nordisk confirmed significant enhancements to its compliance procedures, stating, "We firmly believe that we now have the right foundations and governance in place to be fully and effectively self-regulating."