Leak reveals Novo Nordisk tracked 337 Faroese health workers

A data leak shows that Novo Nordisk kept records on 337 Faroese health professionals, including four doctors classified as advocates for some of the company’s medicines, KVF reports, citing information obtained and analysed by Danish publication Ingeniøren.

The records list 87 doctors, as well as nurses, pharmacy staff and managers in the Faroese health service. They include staff at the National Hospital, Klaksvík Hospital, Suðuroy Hospital and general medical practices.

Ingeniøren’s analysis says Novo Nordisk’s database covers 46,843 health professionals. Around 7,000 were assessed for their commercial value to the company and their loyalty to its products.

The company’s internal system, called the Adoption Ladder, ranks doctors according to how much they prescribe certain Novo Nordisk medicines, including Ozempic and Wegovy. Doctors who do not prescribe the drugs, or have tried them only a few times, are placed at the lower levels. Regular prescribers rank higher, while the top category is called “Advocate”.

Eleven Faroese doctors are listed as regular users, and four are in the top category. Two work at the Medical Outpatient Clinic G3 at the National Hospital. The other two are associated with Katrin and Rúni’s medical practice in Berjabrekka, Tórshavn.

Novo Nordisk’s records classify the four as ambassadors for Ozempic and Tresiba, medicines used to treat diabetes. The material provided by Ingeniøren does not establish whether they are also advocates for Wegovy, a weight-loss medicine, or whether they know about their classifications. It also does not show that the doctors are aware of the records or have agreed to act as advocates for the company.

The Faroese hospital service said it was not aware of Novo Nordisk’s list. At Katrin and Rúni’s practice, one doctor was on leave and the other was occupied with patients when KVF contacted them.

Novo Nordisk also assigned five Faroese doctors commercial ratings from A to D, with A the highest. Four received an A and one received a B. The ratings relate to potential sales of diabetes medicines and GLP-1 treatments.

Faroese officials and people with responsibilities, including members of the Scientific Ethics Committee, also appear in the database under the category “Market Access”, which concerns medicines’ access to the market and healthcare services. It is unclear why they were listed or how Novo Nordisk uses the information.

The disclosure has prompted calls for an explanation in Denmark from the Danish Medical Association and the Danish Nurses’ Organization. They have raised concern that such records could cast doubt on health professionals’ independence. Novo Nordisk says keeping databases on health professionals is common in the pharmaceutical industry and that it complies with applicable laws and regulations.