The LinkedIn activities of AstraZeneca employees have yet again landed the drugmaker in hot water, with the U.K. marketing watchdog identifying eight breaches of its rules in the latest of a series of cases.
A health professional triggered the latest case by alerting the U.K. self-regulatory body, the PMCPA, to a LinkedIn post published by an independent organization. The post, which announced an award for “Best Pharmaceutical Product,” called AstraZeneca’s cancer drug Lynparza “groundbreaking.” The complainant alleged that U.K.-based AstraZeneca employees, including senior staff, had interacted with the post.
AstraZeneca accepted that 18 U.K.-based employees, including two vice presidents and two department heads, interacted with the post. While accepting the interactions could share the post with the public, AstraZeneca refuted the complainant’s allegations that the actions violated the U.K. marketing code.
The PMCPA sided with the complainant on most points, ruling that AstraZeneca breached eight clauses of the code. But the watchdog spared the drugmaker from its harshest censure by refuting the allegation that the actions brought discredit on the industry.
AstraZeneca failed to maintain high standards, the PMCPA said, in part because “there could be no doubt as to whether dissemination of the post by ... employees would constitute promotion of Lynparza.” The PMCPA panel raised concerns that AstraZeneca hadn’t recognized the LinkedIn activity as a breach of the code in its response to the complaint.
However, the PMCPA found neither the actions of AstraZeneca nor the interactions by its 18 employees discredited or reduced confidence in the pharma industry. AstraZeneca reacted promptly once it learned about the LinkedIn activity, asked the independent organization to delete the post and identified staff who interacted with the content. The company asked staff to remove their likes and review its policy.
LinkedIn has been a recurring source of breaches at AstraZeneca in recent years. Since the PMCPA ruled LinkedIn activities brought discredit on the industry in December 2021, the U.K. watchdog has ruled against AstraZeneca in almost 20 cases involving the social network. GSK, Novartis, Pfizer and Vertex are among the biopharma companies to fall foul of U.K. rules on LinkedIn use over the same period.