For the third time this year, Novartis has been rebuked by a U.K. trade group for misleading promotional efforts for its biggest-selling drug and, in the process, bringing discredit on the entire pharmaceutical industry.
In the latest instance, the company was cited for making unsubstantiated and spurious claims in a podcast that was promoting the Entresto heart failure medication to nurses. The episode downplayed a key safety issue — the importance of kidney function — and inappropriately suggested the drug was the best treatment option, among other problematic matters.
As a result, Novartis committed several violations of a voluntary code maintained by the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority, which is a self-regulatory body overseen by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry. The PMCPA was created 30 years ago to bolster the industry’s reputation and has become a receptacle for complaints, often by physicians and company employees.
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