Roche Pharma suspended from body

The issue relates to supply of Xenical

Swiss drug firm Roche Pharma has been suspended from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) for a minimum of six months.

The ban is in connection with breaches of its code of practice, the ABPI said.

It relates to activities between 2003 and 2005, including actions held to bring discredit on, or cut confidence in, the pharmaceutical industry.

The ABPI said that Roche had accepted the rulings and taken action to prevent their recurrence.

The suspension followed claims that Roche Pharma had inappropriately supplied obesity treatment drug Xenical to the operator of private diet clinics.

Re-entry to the ABPI is conditional upon an audit of the company’s procedures proving satisfactory to the ABPI board.