Schwarz Pharma Ltd has been publicly reprimanded by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry's board of management for bringing the industry into disrepute through its promotional activities, the industry's strongest charge. The company has had to submit to an audit of its procedures for approving promotional materials.
The reprimand was issued after Schwarz published a promotional newsletter, ED Matters, for its product Viridal Duo (alprostadil injection). This was held to contain numerous breaches of the ABPI's code of practice, many of which were disparaging to Pfizer Ltd's Viagra (sildenafil). Schwarz originally claimed that the newsletter was not a promotional item. The Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority, which enforces the ABPI's code, said that copies had been distributed by the company's representatives and that it had served a promotional purpose.
The authority upheld 13 separate complaints from Pfizer as well as ruling against the publication as a whole. The case was reported in the PMCPA's May, 2000, review.