Roche Supplies Xenical Weight Loss Drug to UK Diet Clinic

In July 2008 Roche Pharma in the UK was found to by the drug industry's self-regulatory body, the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority, to have breached the code of practice by selling large amounts of the prescription-only weight-loss drug, Xenical, to the operator of a chain of private diet clinics. Roche was also found to have breached the code by agreeing to provide £55,000 to the clinic operator for the purchase of another clinic.

As a result of the adverse finding, Roche Pharma was suspended from membership of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) for a minimum period of six months.

Articles and Resources

Other SourceWatch Resources

• Drug industry
• Pharmaceutical industry
• Patient Groups
• International Association for the Study of Obesity
• International Obesity Task Force

External links

• Madeleine Brettingham, "Doctor sues for unfair dismissal claiming Roche feared she would blow the whistle", British Medical Journal, February 25, 2006. (Sub req'd until Feb 2007)
• Madeleine Brettingham, "Roche denies claims it sacked employee for "whistle blowing"", British Medical Journal, May 20, 2006. (Sub req'd until May 2007)
• Andrew Jack, "Orders failed to match client levels", Financial Times, February 12 2008.
• Andrew Jack, "Roche to face probe over sales of slimming pill", Financial Times, February 25 2008.
• Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, "Company Suspended From ABPI Membership Over Breaches Of Code Of Practice", Media Release, July 14, 2008.

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