Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk NVO-N has been reprimanded by U.K. regulators for failing to disclose fees and expenses paid to individuals and organizations in Britain amounting to about £7.8-million ($9.97-million) between 2020 and 2022.
The U.K. industry body Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA) said on Friday that the reprimand followed a voluntary submission by Novo about the payments, which related to more than 150 different bodies and included fees and expenses to health professionals and sponsorship and other payments to health care organizations.
Novo, whose valuation has soared following the success of its diabetes drug Ozempic and weight loss treatment Wegovy, said on Friday that it had made the voluntary admission in 2023 after it found historical payments that had not been disclosed.
“These payments are for legitimate activities but had been incorrectly categorized in finance systems as a result of human error,” the company said in a statement.
“We accept the PMCPA’s decision to rule the relevant breaches of the two Codes of Practice which applied during the time frame for this case and agreed that this was the appropriate ruling as part of our voluntary admission.”
In March last year Novo was suspended from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), a U.K. lobby group, for two years over breaches of the group’s code of practice.
ABPI linked to a website of a self-regulatory body run by the association that pointed to a complaint, alleging that Novo had sponsored courses on weight management on LinkedIn for health professionals, without making clear that it was doing so.
The PMCPA also said on Friday that Swiss pharmaceuticals company Novartis and US rival Pfizer had breached the ABPI’s code of practice in more minor ways that brought discredit upon, and reduced confidence in, the pharma industry.