Daiichi Sankyo: sponsorship disclosure buried at bottom of charity website articles (AUTH/3793/7/23)

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Key facts

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Case number	AUTH/3793/7/23
Company	Daiichi Sankyo UK Ltd
Complainant	Anonymous (later non-contactable)
Material	Two sponsored articles on a charitable organisation’s website about cardiovascular disease
Article 1	“Tackling cardiovascular disease: why the urgency?” (6 October 2022)
Article 2	“Cardiovascular disease in England: supporting leaders to take actions” (11 November 2022)
Main issue	Sponsorship declaration placed towards the bottom of long webpages; not sufficiently prominent at the outset
Applicable Code	2021
Complaint received	5 July 2023
Case completed	28 August 2024
Appeal	No appeal
Breach clauses	Clause 5.1; Clause 5.5 (x2)
No breach clauses	Clause 2; Clause 5.1 (re organisational structure allegation); Clause 8.3
Sanctions	Undertaking received; Additional sanctions: Not stated

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

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An anonymous complainant alleged two articles on a charitable organisation’s website were disease awareness pieces funded by Daiichi Sankyo, with sponsorship only apparent at the end of the articles, and that they should have been certified.
The complainant also alleged Daiichi Sankyo’s organisational structure/signatory arrangements were inadequate to prevent breaches.
The two articles were:
- “Tackling cardiovascular disease: why the urgency?” (published 6 October 2022)
- “Cardiovascular disease in England: supporting leaders to take actions” (published 11 November 2022)
Daiichi Sankyo said it sponsored an activity (“Toolkit on cardiovascular disease for leaders to take action”) at arm’s length, had no input into the articles, and the articles did not reference medicines.
The sponsorship declaration appeared towards the bottom of each continuously scrolling webpage (after at least three screens of content).
Contracts referred to a sponsorship statement being placed “at the bottom of the relevant webpage”; Daiichi Sankyo signatories did not require wording to ensure the declaration would be prominent at the outset.

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Breach of Clause 5.1 Failing to maintain high standards
Breach of Clause 5.5 (x2) Failing to have a sufficiently prominent declaration of sponsorship statement
No Breach of Clause 2 Requirement that activities or materials must not bring discredit upon, or reduce confidence in, the pharmaceutical industry
No Breach of Clause 5.1 Requirement to maintain high standards at all times
No Breach of Clause 8.3 Requirement to certify educational material for the public related to disease

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