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Marketing practices

Our products are sold in more than 150 countries around the world. The first priority with any product in any country is patient safety. We have systems and processes to collect, analyse and report safety concerns about our products.

Most of our products are sold by sales representatives who regularly meet doctors and pharmacists to inform them about our medicines and their approved uses. We also market products directly to consumers where this is permitted.

The sale and promotion of pharmaceutical products is highly regulated by governments and medical agencies. We are aware of the sensitivity and concerns regarding the marketing of medicines and we are absolutely committed to high ethical standards. We have developed marketing codes and policies and provide training to guide sales representatives, to ensure that they behave ethically and comply with the law.

There are regional marketing practices codes in Europe, our International region, Japan and the US. These codes apply the same ethical standards but reflect differences in market structures, national healthcare systems and regulations.

The marketing code that covers our European region, and illustrates this approach, is available to download.