The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 268 No 7191 p419-425
30 March 2002

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Pfizer reprimanded for field force promoting unlicensed products

Pfizer Ltd has been publicly reprimanded by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry for having a field force that promoted indications and products for which the company did not hold marketing authorisations. The reprimand followed an anonymous complaint by some members of Pfizer's own staff.

The complainants were concerned that Pfizer's team of medical liaison executives (MLEs) was involved with promoting products such as Zeldox (ziprasidone) which had not been licensed and other products, including Lipitor (atorvastatin) and Istin (amlodipine), for unlicensed indications.

Material produced by Pfizer showed that the MLEs were nominally attached to the company's medical, rather than sales, department so that they could "exchange information in off-licence areas on request" and provide information "in line with marketing and sales direction" to ensure the success of new product launches. Sales representatives were instructed to attend meetings at which MLEs were present. This was held to be "inconsistent with Pfizer's submission that such meetings were non-promotional".

The Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority, which administers the ABPI's code, ruled that the boundary between representatives and MLEs was not sufficiently clear. Pfizer had promoted unlicensed medicines and failed to maintain a high standard of ethical conduct. The company had brought the industry into disrepute, the ABPI's strongest charge.

The ruling was upheld on appeal and Pfizer was forced to undergo an external audit of its MLE function. The complaint was reported in the PMCPA's February quarterly review.