Novo Nordisk ABPI membership restored

Novo Nordisk’s two-year suspension from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) for serious breaches of the ABPI Code of Practice has come to an end [1].

Novo Nordisk’s return to full membership of the ABPI follows extensive audits of Novo Nordisk’s compliance procedures and governance by the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA). Specifics of the original case are available on the PMCPA website [2].

Novo Nordisk, supported by the independent PMCPA audit reports, has demonstrated to the ABPI Board’s satisfaction that the company has made clear, significant, and sustained improvements to ensure it is able to properly adhere to the strict industry standards in the ABPI Code of Practice.

Richard Torbett, Chief Executive of the ABPI, said: “The UK rightly has some of the highest standards in the world for how pharmaceutical companies can behave and operate – embodied by the ABPI Code of Practice. In 2021, Novo Nordisk fell short of these standards, and it is right that their peers held them accountable.

“Over the past two years, Novo Nordisk has responded positively and actively to the requirements laid down by the ABPI Board, and I am pleased to welcome them back into full engagement as ABPI members.”

Sebnem Avsar Tuna, General Manager of Novo Nordisk UK said: “We welcome the decision today to have our membership to the ABPI restored. Throughout the audit process we have considerably strengthened our compliance processes and we firmly believe that we now have the right foundations and governance in place to be fully and effectively self-regulating.

“From day one, we have taken the decision to suspend our membership extremely seriously, and we have greatly valued the cooperation from the ABPI and the PMCPA during what has been a very robust and thorough review process.

“Novo Nordisk has had a significant presence in the UK for more than fifty years and we remain committed to our purpose of driving change to defeat serious chronic diseases and look forward to participating as a full member of the ABPI”