AstraZeneca advisory board invitations: breach for unclear practice manager invitee selection (AUTH/2493/3/12)

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Key facts

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Case number	AUTH/2493/3/12
Complainant	General practitioner
Company	AstraZeneca UK Limited
Issue	Faxed invitations to advisory boards; concerns about selection of consultants and honoraria; unclear addressee for practice manager invitation
Meetings described	GP advisory board (26 March 2012) and practice manager advisory board (29 March 2012) – both cancelled
Honoraria mentioned	GP: £300; Practice manager: £125 (agency suggested £150 would be more appropriate for confirmatory invite)
Applicable Code year	2011
Complaint received	22 March 2012 (HTML); 23 March 2012 (report text)
Case completed	30 May 2012
Appeal	No appeal
Breach clauses	Clause 20.1
No breach clauses	Clauses 2, 9.1, 18.1 and 20.1
Sanction	Undertaking received

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

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A general practitioner received a three-page faxed invitation (via a market research agency) to participate in an AstraZeneca advisory board.
The fax pack included invitations/letters addressed inconsistently: one to “Dear Dr X”, one to “All GP’s” [sic], and one with no addressee (said by AstraZeneca to be intended for the practice manager).
The complainant alleged the wording implied invitees were not specifically selected for relevant expertise and that the number of consultants might not be limited to what was reasonably necessary.
The complainant also highlighted inconsistent honoraria across pages (£300 referenced on pages 1–2; £125 offered on page 3), alleging it could be an incentive to attend regardless of expertise.
AstraZeneca explained the advisory boards were to obtain feedback on non-promotional educational modules to help GPs diagnose bipolar/unipolar depression and on how to discuss these via its TeleReach telephone service; one board was for GPs (26 March 2012) and one for practice managers (29 March 2012).
Both advisory boards were cancelled following a High Court decision leading to loss of the Seroquel XL patent in the UK; AstraZeneca stated mental health-related activities in development were stopped.
AstraZeneca said the agency sometimes faxed materials to receptionists who requested a single invitation for a practice, using “All GPs”, and acknowledged an agency oversight where a recipient name was omitted/left blank.

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Breach found: Clause 20.1 (in relation to the practice manager invitation).
No breach: Clauses 2, 9.1, 18.1 and (in other respects) 20.1.
The Panel accepted advisory boards and appropriate fees can be legitimate, but invitations and selection must stand up to scrutiny.

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