UK drugmakers repeatedly violating marketing code, shows research

New data analysis by University of Bath, UK, and Lund University, Sweden, academics reveals that public health in the UK could be undermined by a failing system of drug company self-regulation.

The research shows that drug companies are consistently violating their industry code of practice in drug marketing. Not only are the code violations pervasive, but a fifth of the cases involve code violations that have been branded as “severe” by the industry’s self-regulatory body.

These failings are compounded by significant delays in complaint processing—ranging on average from 7 to 9 months in recent years—which may allow unethical or unsafe marketing practices to continue for prolonged periods.