AUTH/2064/11/07: GP v Roche (Christmas lunch allegation) – No breach | PMCPA Case

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Key facts

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Case number	AUTH/2064/11/07
Parties	General Practitioner v Roche Products Limited
Issue	Alleged offer by a representative to provide a “Christmas lunch” for a primary care team (alleged social meeting sponsorship)
Product/topic mentioned	Bonviva (promotional lunchtime meeting proposed, per Roche)
Complaint received	13 November 2007
Case completed	10 January 2008
Applicable Code year	2006
Clauses considered	Clauses 2, 9.1, 15.2, 15.3, 19.1
Decision	No breach of the Code
Appeal	No appeal
Sanctions	None

Reviewed by Dr Anzal Qurbain (FFPM) — ABPI Final Signatory

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A general practitioner complained that a Roche representative had offered to provide a Christmas lunch for the primary care team, allegedly amounting to sponsorship of a meeting wholly of a social nature.
The complaint was prompted by an email from a practice manager (in another practice in the same building) stating the “Roche rep” had offered to provide a Christmas lunch on 19 December and inviting the complainant’s team.
Roche said the representative had proposed a promotional lunchtime meeting (in respect of Bonviva) with approved materials and an appropriate buffet lunch, not a “Christmas lunch”.
Roche provided call notes from its database referring to an in-house educational/promotional meeting, booking it for December, and later cancelling it; none mentioned “Christmas lunch”.
The meeting was cancelled after an objection from the neighbouring practice that did not entertain pharmaceutical industry representatives.

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No breach of the Code was ruled.
The Panel considered there was no evidence the representative offered to provide a Christmas lunch as alleged; the only reference to “Christmas lunch” was in the practice manager’s email.

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