University of Bath academics on Dispatches: Skinny Jab Scandal highlight Novo Nordisk’s "deep cultural issues"

Academics from the University of Bath have featured in Channel 4’s Dispatches investigation, highlighting significant concerns about pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk’s promotional practices.

The investigative documentary featured expert insights from Dr Piotr Ozieranski and Dr Emily Rickard of the University of Bath, who have been researching Novo Nordisk—the manufacturer of Wegovy and Ozempic. Their recent investigation uncovered millions of pounds in undisclosed payments made by Novo Nordisk to healthcare organisations.

In March 2023, Novo Nordisk were suspended as a member of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) for two years due to serious breaches of the ABPI Code of Practice. The regulatory body responsible for enforcing the Association’s Code, the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA) found that Novo Nordisk had funded training of healthcare professionals which was linked to the promotion of its weight loss drug Saxenda and intended to directly increase its use.

Speaking on the programme, Dr Piotr Ozieranski from the Department of Social & Policy Sciences said:

“The case involved a large-scale, misleading, biased promotional campaign of a highly transparent weight management medication. The training that the pharmacists received was biased and misleading and didn’t make it clear that Novo Nordisk was involved. This case revealed deep cultural issues within the company itself.”

Dr Emily Rickard, from the Department of Social & Policy Sciences, described the case as “a huge story, an unprecedented penalty. There’s never been such an unprecedented case.”

The Dispatches investigation follows a January 2024 ruling by the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA), which found Novo Nordisk in breach of transparency standards.

The ruling came about after lead investigator Dr Emily Rickard and Dr Piotr Ozieranski from the University of Bath, along with Dr Shai Mulinari from Lund University submitted a robust complaint to the watchdog.

The pharma watchdog found Novo Nordisk guilty of multiple compliance failures, including breaching the ABPI Code of Practice’s most severe Clause 2, which signifies serious censure for bringing discredit to the industry and reducing public confidence.

Key Findings

• £1,244,027 in undisclosed payments to healthcare and patient organisations, with £635,000 of these not identified in Novo Nordisk’s own internal review.
• Payments misattributed to incorrect organisations, including £338,435 attributed to the Association for British HealthTech Industries instead of the World Obesity Federation.
• Novo Nordisk is still unsure about the total extent of unreporting, admitting that the figures submitted in their voluntary admission were “a best estimate”
• Failures to disclose payments during the launch of lucrative weight-loss drugs in the UK, raising concerns about the company’s accountability.

The findings add to Novo Nordisk’s voluntary admission - published in 2024 - of failing to disclose £7.8 million in payments between 2020 and 2022, a breach that took place following its suspension from the ABPI.

Dr Emily Rickard said:

"It’s deeply concerning that so many errors from the past three years weren’t picked up in Novo Nordisk’s own review. This happened while the company was under audit—a time when compliance should have been a top priority. The failure to disclose payments is especially troubling, given it coincided with the UK launch of blockbuster weight-loss drugs like Wegovy. It raises serious questions about transparency and accountability.”

Dr Piotr Ozieranski said:

"When a company as large as Novo Nordisk doesn’t disclose payments, it’s not just damaging to their reputation—it undermines trust in the entire healthcare system. Transparency in the UK’s pharmaceutical industry is transparency in name only. A total overhaul is urgently needed.”

Call for Transparency Reform

The researchers are calling for comprehensive reforms to ensure genuine transparency in the pharmaceutical industry, including:

• Full disclosure of all payments made by pharmaceutical companies.
• A government-run, centralised database for payment reporting, accessible to patients, regulators, and policymakers.
• Rigorous enforcement with meaningful penalties for non-compliance.

The research team have also released a policy brief with the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Bath which recommends key legislative reforms to enhance financial transparency in industry-NHS collaborations.