The ABPI Code is reshaping how we organise medical conferences across the UK. For any association or committee planning a conference where prescription-only medicines are part of the conversation, navigating these regulations is essential to protecting your sponsors, your stakeholders, and the overall reputation of your conference. We have been working closely with our pharmaceutical partners to change how we organise conferences and comply with the ABPI Code. Here is what we have learned.
What is the ABPI Code?
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry Code of Practice sets the standard for how pharmaceutical companies interact with healthcare professionals, organisations, patient groups, and the public. It incorporates both UK and European law, going beyond statutory requirements to establish an exceptionally high benchmark for industry conduct and to uphold public confidence. At its heart, it is built on four simple ideas: patient benefit, transparency, respect, and integrity.
One of the most important rules to remember is that advertising prescription-only medicines to the public is strictly prohibited. This rule extends across all platforms, including social media.
As professional conference organisers, we act as a third party under Clause 1.24 of the code. This means pharmaceutical companies are fully accountable for our actions, omissions, and any information we provide, even if an oversight occurs contrary to direct instructions. Because a compliance breach can lead to severe financial sanctions, resource-intensive investigations, and long-term reputational damage for a sponsor, we maintain a strict policy of checking with our clients before proceeding whenever any uncertainty arises.
Checklist for Compliance
Before a pharma company can sponsor or get involved in a conference, they have to put the project through a strict vetting process. If the conference does not tick all the boxes, they simply cannot fund it. Here is what they are looking at:
- The educational programme: The content must be genuinely relevant to their products and therapeutic areas.
- The venue: The facilities, layout, and overall impression must be appropriate for professional business activities.
- The audience: The nature of the delegates attending and the specific information they are permitted to access.
- The costs: A transparent breakdown of exactly how sponsorship funds will be allocated.
- The subsistence: Food, drink, and hospitality arrangements must remain modest and secondary to the educational focus.
While pharmaceutical companies are fully permitted to fund exhibition spaces, sponsor educational sessions, or support delegate attendance, they cannot be associated with entertainment, sporting activities, gala dinners, or personal gifts. Similarly, activities like exhibition stand treasure hunts, competitions, and prize draws are strictly prohibited.
How CPI Works With Sponsors
To deliver a seamless, fully compliant conference experience, we implement practical, robust operational procedures throughout the planning phase and on-site.
Transparent declarations
All related conferences carry a clear, prominent, and unambiguous declaration of that pharma company’s involvement. It is our responsibility to ensure that attendees can easily understand the sponsor’s role and level of influence before engaging with the content. We ensure these disclosures appear across all related collateral, including the conference website, invitations, booking pages, emails, and social media posts. For digital platforms featuring multiple sponsors, we implement a clear, overarching statement indicating pharmaceutical involvement, with direct, single-click access to the full, detailed declarations.
Example of Declaration:
BSH receives financial sponsorship from multiple industry sponsors towards the BSH Annual Scientific Meeting. Sponsors have had no input into the content of the scientific programme or the choice of speakers. Sponsors will have the opportunity to exhibit with a company stand during the meeting. Click here to view the full list of sponsors
Venue and hospitality management
We carefully select venues where the educational value is the primary draw for delegates rather than the location, prioritising dedicated conference centres over luxury five-star resorts.
Hospitality is managed with equal precision. We ensure that hospitality is secondary to the main educational purpose, and that food and drink costs are strictly aligned with regulatory thresholds, which in the UK means adhering to a maximum cap of £75 per person.
Audience separation and access controls
Because promotional materials for prescription-only medicines are not accessible to the public, managing a mixed audience of healthcare professionals and non-healthcare professionals (such as patients, media, or students) requires meticulous planning.
To support our sponsors, we provide detailed delegate breakdowns, clear floor plans, and specific layouts of catering areas. We establish a clear physical separation between promotional and non-promotional activities. While non-promotional sessions, such as keynote lectures and poster presentations, remain open to all delegates, promotional exhibition zones are strictly limited.
On-site, we manage these mixed audiences through three practical measures:
- Visual identification: Utilising colour-coded lanyards and badges to differentiate audience types instantly.
- Access technology: Implementing badge scanning to ensure access is restricted to verified healthcare professionals.
- Strategic signage: Placing clear directional signage throughout the venue to guide different groups appropriately, ensuring the exhibition hall and sponsored sessions are completely blocked off.
By establishing these boundaries and maintaining open, transparent communication with our sponsors, we deliver high-impact educational conferences that respect regulatory standards and protect the integrity of every partner involved.
