Pfizer: employee ‘liked/loved’ NHS LinkedIn posts naming voxelotor (Oxbryta) – promotion of a POM to the public (AUTH/3926/6/24)

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Key facts

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Case	AUTH/3926/6/24
Company	Pfizer
Complaint source	Named, contactable complainant (health professional)
Channel	LinkedIn (third-party posts; employee reactions)
Medicine	Voxelotor (Oxbryta)
Issue	Employee ‘liked/loved’ posts naming a POM and implying benefits; dissemination to a network including members of the public
Applicable Code	2021
Breach findings	Clause 26.1 (x2)
No breach findings	Clause 5.1; Clause 2
Sanctions	Undertaking received; additional sanctions not stated
Complaint received	13 June 2024
Case completed	6 May 2025
Appeal	No appeal

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

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Two LinkedIn posts (one by a UK health authority, one by its employee) discussed NICE final draft guidance and named Pfizer’s medicine voxelotor, linking to a health authority website article.
The posts included benefit-style claims (eg “new treatment lifeline”, “innovative treatment”, and a linked headline preview “life-changing”).
A Pfizer UK employee ‘liked’ one post and ‘loved’ the other; the complainant alleged this was passive promotion to the public.
Pfizer said it had no involvement in authoring/publishing the original posts, but accepted that the employee’s engagement disseminated the content to their network (which included members of the public).
The employee removed the ‘like/love’ after the complaint.

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Breach of Clause 26.1 (x2) Advertising a prescription only medicine to the public.
No breach of Clause 5.1 Requirement to maintain high standards at all times.
No breach of Clause 2 Requirement that activities or materials must not bring discredit upon, or reduce confidence in, the pharmaceutical industry.

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