Britain’s nursing union, the Royal College of Nursing, on Friday cut ties with Israeli drugmaker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, citing the company’s links to the Israel Defense Forces and its record of corporate misconduct.
The RCN said it would stop working with Teva as a supplier and canceled the company’s sponsorship of a migraine conference due to be held at its London headquarters later this month. Teva said it was disappointed by the decision and criticized what it described as the politicization of Britain’s healthcare system.
Close
Teva’s logistics center. Credit: Eyal Toueg
Teva’s logistics center. Credit: Eyal Toueg
Pro-Palestinian organizations had pressed the RCN in recent weeks to sever ties with Teva. Nurses for Palestine welcomed the decision, saying that “Teva has no place sponsoring professional bodies dedicated to healing, care and preserving human life.”
In a letter to the organization, Carmel O’Boyle, chairwoman of the RCN’s governing council, said an internal review found that some of Teva’s activities, including conduct that had drawn regulatory scrutiny and legal sanctions, were inconsistent with the union’s values.
Related Articles
In 2024, for example, the European Commission fined Teva €462.6 million for abusing its dominant position to delay competition to its multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone in several European countries. In 2023, Teva agreed to pay $225 million to resolve U.S. Justice Department charges related to price-fixing involving three drugs.
A Teva spokesman said in response that “as one of the largest suppliers of medicines in the U.K., we value our long-standing partnership with the RCN and the opportunity we’ve had to support healthcare workers and their patients.”
“We are disappointed by the RCN’s decision to end this collaboration and wish to continue dialogue with them,” he added. “The healthcare system functions best when it is focused on patient well-being and not politicized.”
Teva also told TheMarker that its commitment to supporting healthcare professionals and patients “remains unchanged,” adding: “Although we disagree with the decision, we will continue to operate with integrity and focus on what matters most: helping patients access the medicines they need.”
Reporters Linda Dayan and Judy Maltz join Haaretz’s Election Podcast.