GSK respiratory webinar pages: missing Relvar prescribing information and undertaking breach; COPD ‘triple therapy’ appeal succeeds (AUTH/3308/2/20)

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Key facts

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Case	AUTH/3308/2/20
Parties	Anonymous/Director v GlaxoSmithKline
Material	GSK UK HCP events website webinar registration pages (asthma and COPD)
Applicable Code year	2019
Complaint received	11 February 2020
Case completed	17 September 2020
Products referenced	Relvar Ellipta (fluticasone/vilanterol); Trelegy Ellipta (fluticasone/umeclidinium/vilanterol)
Asthma webinar page finding	Promotional for Relvar Ellipta; PI and Clause 4.6 statement missing; undertaking not complied with
COPD webinar page finding	Panel: promotional for Trelegy and PI required; Appeal Board: not promotional for a specific medicine, so PI not required
External guideline link (BTS/SIGN)	No breach of Clause 28.6
Sanctions	Undertaking received; Advertisement

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

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A health professional complained about two webinar registration pages on GSK’s UK HCP events website.
The complainant alleged an earlier asthma webinar page previously ruled in breach (AUTH/3178/3/19) was still live; GSK said it had been removed in May 2019.
A different asthma webinar registration page (“Effectiveness by Design: molecules engineered for efficacy and safety”, ref PM-GB-FFV-BRF-190025) went live 24 October 2019 and remained viewable on 11 February 2020.
The asthma page included the subheading “Relvar – asthma control with precision potency” and text about fluticasone furoate “improv[ing] asthma control”, but did not include Relvar Ellipta prescribing information or a clear prominent statement of where it could be found.
The Panel found this asthma page had not been reviewed as part of GSK’s undertaking in AUTH/3178/3/19 (to take all possible steps to avoid similar breaches).
The complainant also alleged a breach for an external hyperlink to BTS/SIGN asthma guidelines (Clause 28.6).
A second webinar registration page (“Treating an exacerbating COPD patient in 2019 – From guidelines to practice”, ref PM-GB-FVU-WCNT-19004) was alleged to be disguised promotion and indirectly promotional for Trelegy due to references to stepping up to “triple therapy”.
The Panel initially ruled the COPD page was promotional for Trelegy and required prescribing information; GSK appealed.

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Asthma webinar page (Relvar): Breaches upheld for missing prescribing information and failure to comply with an undertaking.
External link to BTS/SIGN guideline: No breach of Clause 28.6.
COPD webinar page (triple therapy): Panel initially ruled breaches, but Appeal Board overturned—no breach of Clauses 4.1, 4.6, 9.1 and 2 for the COPD page.
GSK accepted the breach rulings relating to the asthma webinar page.

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