Abbott’s ABPI membership reinstated

Abbott Laboratories’ membership of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has been reinstated following the completion of a six-month ban.

The ban was enforced following an anonymous complaint about the company’s hospitality for healthcare professionals, which was deemed inappropriate. Abbott was subsequently banned from the ABPI, having found to have breached the ABPI’s code – in particular Clause 2, which enforces against “activities that bring discredit on, or reduce confidence in, the pharmaceutical industry”.

Abbott had already investigated the events and reviewed its procedures by the time the complaint was made, with three members of staff leaving the company.

A statement from the ABPI read: “The ABPI Board of Management has noted that the importance of complying with the ABPI Code of Practice has been made clear to all Abbott staff, and an audit report in May referred to the company’s commitment to compliance and its progress in recent months.”

The reinstatement has come into effect from July 1st, although the industry association said that a further audit of Abbott’s UK operations should be made in six months time to ensure that “progress is being maintained”.

According to the ABPI’s own statistics, Abbott is the 13th largest pharmaceutical company operating in the UK by market share.

The ABPI is the UK pharmaceutical industry’s trade association, representing the companies engaged in the research, development and manufacturing of prescription medicines – an industry that employs 65,000 people and 250,000 in related industries.

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