AUTH/3171/3/19: Health professional v Novartis — meeting attendance certificate (no breach) | PMCPA Case

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Key facts

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Case number	AUTH/3171/3/19
Complainant	Anonymous contactable health professional
Company	Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Ltd
Issue	Provision/delivery of a meeting attendance certificate and whether it was used as an inducement to gain an interview
Meeting type	Company-organised promotional speaker meeting
Clause(s) considered	Clause 15.3
Applicable Code year	2016
Complaint received	12 March 2019
Case completed	12 September 2019
Appeal	No appeal
Outcome	No breach

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

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An anonymous, contactable health professional attended a Novartis-organised and sponsored meeting (a company-organised promotional speaker meeting).
No attendance certificates were available at the meeting; attendees were told representatives would provide hard-copy certificates after the meeting.
After the event, a representative emailed asking when would be a suitable time to “come and see” the complainant with the certificate and an evaluation form, stating the certificate could not be emailed.
The complainant suggested leaving the certificate at surgery reception; the representative said they could not do so on the day they were happy to meet.
A face-to-face meeting was initially agreed but later cancelled due to conflicting commitments; the representative then said they would deliver the certificate at the next possible opportunity without requesting a new meeting.
The complainant suggested posting the certificate and awaited a reply.

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No breach of the Code was ruled.
The Panel decided that, on balance, delivery of the attendance certificate was not an inducement to gain an interview.

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