RCN ends ‘long-standing’ partnership with Israeli drugs company

Nurses 4 Palestine, a group of UK-based nurses campaigning on behalf of health workers in Palestine, wrote to the RCN last month to express its “profound concern” about the organisation’s association with Teva UK.

“We know how important it is that the RCN only enters commercial relationships with companies that represent the values of the nursing profession”

Carmel O’Boyle

Teva UK – the UK arm of Israel-based Teva Pharmaceuticals – is the biggest supplier of prescription medicines to the NHS and specialises primarily in manufacturing generic versions of drugs.

It has worked with the RCN for years and was due to sponsor an upcoming nursing leadership summit on migraine care, which was organised by the college’s editorial and education branch, RCNi.

However, in its open letter dated 10 September, the Nurses 4 Palestine campaign group urged the RCN to disengage from Teva.

Among its claims was that Teva was “entangled with the Israeli military” – something the company has denied.

Nurses 4 Palestine also highlighted Teva’s history of “corporate malfeasance” that had led to various fines and sanctions, such as embarking on an unwarranted smear campaign against a rival company with a cheaper version of its drug.

In a reply letter to Nurses 4 Palestine dated 23 September, RCN Council chair Carmel O’Boyle confirmed that the union was ending its commercial partnership with Teva UK.

Teva UK would no longer sponsor the RCNi Nursing leadership summit: migraine and headache services event, said Ms O’Boyle, who added that the event would still go ahead as planned on 30 October.

Carmel O’Boyle

Ms O’Boyle wrote: “We are taking this action because further due diligence showed that there are a number of Teva Pharmaceuticals’ operations, which have been the subject of legal sanction and public scrutiny, which are not in line with RCNi and RCN values.

“We know how important it is that the RCN only enters commercial relationships with companies that represent the values of the nursing profession,” she said.

The RCN Council chair said the RCN was updating its commercial partnerships policy to “ensure it proves as robust a framework as possible to guide us in these decisions”.

Among the sanctions obtained by Teva include a €462.6m fine issued by the European Commission in 2024 for abusing its market dominance to block other companies from bringing in cheaper alternatives to its multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone.

“Healthcare is at its best when it remains focused on patients rather than being politicised”

Teva spokesperson

Meanwhile, Teva has paid more than $750m to resolve charges in the US related to price fixing and bribery in two separate cases from 2016 and 2023.

A spokesperson for Teva said it “respectfully” disagreed with the decision by the RCN and that it was seeking further talks with the nursing body about the move.

They said: “As one of the largest suppliers of medicines to the UK, we have valued our long-standing partnership with the RCN and the opportunity it has provided to support healthcare professionals and the patients they care for.

“We are disappointed by the RCN’s decision to end this relationship and are seeking further dialogue with the organisation.

“Healthcare is at its best when it remains focused on patients rather than being politicised,” the spokesperson said.

Addressing the points raised in the open letter by Nurses 4 Palestine, the spokesperson stated that Teva did not fund or contribute to military operations in any country around the world.

They added: “We are humbled by the opportunity to serve more than 150 million patients every day and remain steadfast in our dedication to positively impact those we serve, guided by international laws, local regulations, and our shared values.”