The corporate behind widespread weight-loss medication didn’t disclose much more cash it paid to healthcare teams and affected person organisations , a pharmaceutical watchdog has mentioned.
Novo Nordisk – which manufactures Wegovy, Ozempic and Saxenda – misreported, under-reported or didn’t disclose funding it gave to pharmacy corporations, weight problems charities and different skilled our bodies, in accordance with the Prescription Medicines Code of Follow Authority (PMCPA).
It isn’t the primary time Novo Nordisk has didn’t disclose the funds it has made. In 2023, it admitted to the PMCPA it had not disclosed £7.8m it paid to greater than 150 organisations over three years.
A spokesperson for Novo Nordisk mentioned the organisation was “dedicated to working transparently and ethically, taking the reporting of these historical transfers of value extremely seriously”.
The brand new criticism was submitted by the College of Bathtub and Lund College and checked out £1.2m in undisclosed funds made by Novo Nordisk to healthcare and affected person organisations. A number of the funds (£609,027) had beforehand been disclosed voluntarily by the corporate in 2023.
However the newest investigation revealed that Novo Nordisk nonetheless didn’t disclose an extra £635,000 in funds. The corporate mentioned the figures submitted of their voluntary admission have been a “best estimate”.
The PMCPA mentioned the criticism “raised questions about the culture of the company and demonstrated poor governance and a lack of care”.
Funds have been additionally misattributed to the improper organisations, together with £338,435 paid to the World Weight problems Federation that was initially listed as paid to the Affiliation for British HealthTech Industries.
The investigation, led by researchers from the College of Bathtub, UK and Lund College, Sweden, uncovered numerous severe breaches of the pharmaceutical trade’s code of observe, which the watchdog upheld.
Dr Emily Rickard mentioned: “The failure to disclose payments is especially troubling, given it coincided with the UK launch of blockbuster weight-loss drugs like Wegovy. It raises serious questions about transparency and accountability.”
“We have already implemented mitigating actions to future-proof how we track and disclose transfers of value, and continue to collaborate with external partners to ensure robust systems and processes are in place,” Novo Nordisk mentioned
“This has enabled us to resubmit all relevant historical data to Disclosure UK and ensure all future transfers of value are accurately and efficiently tracked and disclosed.”
One physician referred to as for a “total overhaul” following the findings.
“When a company as large as Novo Nordisk doesn’t disclose payments, it’s not just damaging to their reputation – it undermines trust in the entire healthcare system,” mentioned Dr Piotr Ozieranski.
“Transparency in the UK’s pharmaceutical industry is transparency in name only. A total overhaul is urgently needed.”
’20 sufferers each hour’
It comes as pharmacy leaders issued a contemporary warning over the sale of weight-loss jabs within the UK, amid studies some on-line sellers have set targets for clinicians to course of greater than 20 sufferers each hour.
The Nationwide Pharmacy Affiliation (NPA) mentioned it was conscious of people that had a historical past of consuming issues, or low physique weight, being prescribed the jabs.
The NPA has written to the Basic Pharmaceutical Council saying present guidelines depart the door open for medicines to be provided with out applicable checks “and the risk to patient safety remains”.
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Pic: Reuters file picture
Weight reduction jabs, generally known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, work by lowering meals cravings. A whole bunch of hundreds of sufferers are estimated to be shopping for these medication privately by way of on-line pharmacies.
The NPA has beforehand urged sufferers towards shopping for the jabs from unregulated sellers, who could also be promoting counterfeit merchandise.
