Merck - Cozaar: "unacceptable promotional practices"

Britain's pharmaceutical trade body has suspended the local operation of U.S. drugmaker Merck for a minimum of three months for unacceptable promotional practices.

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) said on Monday the way in which the company had pushed its blood pressure drug Cozaar with doctors represented a serious breach of the industry's code of practice.

"The highest possible ethical standards are required by the pharmaceutical industry in all its relationships with healthcare professionals and other stakeholders. Breaches of the code are viewed in the most serious possible light, and this is reflected in the suspension," ABPI President Nigel Brooksby said.

The action followed a complaint by a former Merck sales representative over the way in which a nurse-led audit programme, designed to identify at-risk patients, was offered to general practitioners.

Reuters.