The Royal College of Nursing (RCN), representing over 500,000 nurses in the United Kingdom, has terminated its commercial partnership with Teva UK, the British arm of the Israeli pharmaceutical giant Teva Pharmaceuticals. The decision, prompted by advocacy from Palestinian rights groups, cuts Teva UK’s sponsorship of an upcoming nursing leadership summit on migraine and headache services scheduled for October 30 at the RCN headquarters in London.
The move follows sustained pressure from campaign groups, including Nurses for Palestine and UK Healthcare Petitions to Royal Colleges, which targeted Teva’s corporate ties to the Israel Defense Forces and its history of legal and ethical violations. Carmel O’Boyle, chair of the union’s ruling council, confirmed the decision in a letter to campaigners, stating that further due diligence revealed operations of Teva Pharmaceuticals that do not align with the values of the nursing profession and the RCN’s publishing and education arm, RCNi.
“We know how important it is that the RCN only enters commercial relationships with companies that represent the values of the nursing profession,” the letter emphasized.
Over the past decade, Teva Pharmaceuticals has faced significant legal penalties, including approximately $1.3 billion in fines and settlements paid to US authorities and the European Commission for bribery, price-fixing, and market abuse. Notably, in 2024, the European Commission fined Teva €462.6 million ($520 million) for illegally blocking rival drug companies from competing with its multiple sclerosis treatment, Copaxone, across seven EU countries. Additionally, the company has settled charges related to drug price-fixing in the US and bribery of government officials in Russia, Ukraine, and Mexico.
Campaign groups welcomed the RCN’s decision as a major milestone for the global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. A spokesperson for Nurses for Palestine stated that Teva has no place sponsoring professional bodies dedicated to healing and preserving human life. Meanwhile, the UK Healthcare Petitions to Royal Colleges (UKHPRC) argued that healthcare organizations must not maintain commercial ties with companies supporting state systems accused of grave violations of international law.
Looking ahead, Palestinian rights campaigners are urging the Royal College of Pharmacy, the UK’s leading pharmaceutical body, to follow the RCN’s example by ending its sponsorship deal with Teva UK and canceling the company’s presence at its upcoming annual conference.
