A second major UK health body has cut ties with an Israeli drug firm after coming under pressure from pro-Palestine campaigners.
The Royal College of Pharmacy has dropped Teva UK, the British arm of the global medicines producer Teva Pharmaceuticals, as a sponsor of and exhibitor at its annual conference next month.
Its decision comes after that of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) last week to cut its longstanding ties with Teva UK. The RCN, which represents ۵۰۰,۰۰۰ UK nurses, dropped Teva as a sponsor of both the union and an event on headache and migraine.
The Royal College of Pharmacy is the professional body for Britain’s ۳۴,۰۰۰ pharmacists. Teva UK was due to be an exhibitor at four of its events as part of a £۱۵,۰۰۰ deal, the college said.
A spokesperson said it had taken its decision after realising that unspecified Teva Pharmaceuticals’ “activities”, uncovered by a “due diligence review”, did not align with its values.
“The Royal College of Pharmacy has decided to end Teva UK’s current sponsorship and exhibition presence for our forthcoming annual conference with immediate effect.
“This follows a further due diligence review which has brought to our attention the possibility of certain Teva Pharmaceuticals activities which do not align with our values”, the spokesperson said.
It did not explain which activities it had concerns about but said the move was decided by its executive team after it became a charity in April, which led to it reviewing its policies. But Teva, which specialises in producing generic rather than developing new drugs, has a poor track record of corporate malfeasance.
Teva said it was “disappointed” at being dropped and that healthcare should not become “politicised”.
The college’s move comes after the circulation of an open letter by campaigners including UK Healthcare Petitions to Royal Colleges (UKHPRC) and signed by individual pharmacists and other health professionals.
The letter highlighted that the Royal Pharmaceutical Society – the Royal College of Pharmacy’s predecessor – had responded to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in ۲۰۲۲ by no longer investing any of its money in funds that involved Russian firms. It urged the Royal College of Pharmacy to “apply the same ethical scrutiny to its investments and commercial partnerships in relation to Israel”.
UKHPRC welcomed the RCN and Royal College of Pharmacy’s decisions. “We hope this reflects the ethical concerns that the public expects from healthcare professionals”, it said.
Medical royal colleges are the bodies that represent different types of doctors in the UK professionally, such as GPs and surgeons. UKHPRC is now urging other royal colleges which have or have previously had commercial relationships with Teva to shun the company. They include the royal colleges representing GPs, psychiatrists and hospital doctors, which have had sponsorship arrangements with Teva in recent years.
“These victories should reverberate beyond the royal colleges, into NHS boardrooms and pharmacy purchasing decisions. They have shown that a sponsor’s cheque need not come with the college’s conscience thrown in.
Dr Barrak Almoosawi, an NHS doctor and an organiser of the letter, said: “Nursing and pharmacy have acted; those still taking Teva’s money can no longer shelter behind the excuse that nothing can be done. A royal crest carries standing. It should never serve as a fig leaf for a failure of moral courage.”
In ۲۰۲۴ the European Commission fined Teva €۴۶۲.۶m for blocking rival firms from competing with Copaxone, its treatment for multiple sclerosis, in seven European countries for between four and nine years.
In ۲۰۲۳ Teva agreed to pay $۲۲۵m in fines imposed by the US Department of Justice as an alternative to prosecution after it was charged with fixing the price of three drugs.
Previously, in ۲۰۱۶, it struck a deal with the US Securities and Exchange Commission and the US Department of Justice to pay $۵۱۹m (£۳۹۳m) to settle civil and criminal charges involving its bribery of government officials in Russia, Ukraine and Mexico.
Teva Pharmaceuticals said in a statement: “We are disappointed by the Royal College of Pharmacy’s decision, and firmly believe healthcare is at its best when it remains focused on patients rather than being politicised. While we respectfully disagree with this decision, we will continue to act with integrity and remain focused on what matters most: helping patients access the medicines they need.
“We are humbled by the opportunity to serve more than ۱۵۰m patients every day around the world and remain steadfast in our dedication to positively impact those we serve, guided by international laws, local regulations, and our shared values. Teva does not make donations to political parties, political organisations, or military entities in any country.”
