The Royal College of Pharmacy, which represents 34,000 members of Britain’s pharmacy profession, has terminated a £15,000 sponsorship and exhibition arrangement with Teva UK, the British division of global pharmaceutical manufacturer Teva Pharmaceuticals. The decision follows a similar move by the Royal College of Nursing, representing 500,000 UK nurses, which dropped Teva as a sponsor last week.
A Royal College of Pharmacy spokesperson stated the decision resulted from a due diligence review that identified certain Teva Pharmaceuticals activities misaligned with the organization’s values. The college did not specify which activities prompted concern but noted the review followed its transition to charitable status in April. Teva responded by expressing disappointment and asserting that healthcare should remain focused on patients rather than become politicized.
The pressure campaign included an open letter from activist groups including UK Healthcare Petitions to Royal Colleges, signed by individual health professionals. The letter referenced the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s 2022 decision to divest from Russian firms following Ukraine’s invasion, calling for equivalent ethical scrutiny applied to Israel-related commercial relationships. UKHPRC stated it hoped the decisions reflected public expectations regarding healthcare professional ethics.
Teva Pharmaceuticals faces a history of regulatory penalties. In 2024, the European Commission imposed a €462.6m fine for blocking competitor access to its multiple sclerosis treatment in seven European countries. The company agreed to $225m in US Department of Justice fines in 2023 regarding drug price-fixing charges and previously settled for $519m in 2016 following bribery allegations involving government officials in Russia, Ukraine, and Mexico.
Campaigners are now urging additional royal colleges—representing general practitioners, psychiatrists, and hospital doctors—to sever existing sponsorship ties with Teva. Dr. Barrak Almoosawi, an NHS doctor involved in the campaign, stated that recent decisions demonstrate that organizational credibility should not accompany ethical compromise.
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