UK Nursing Union Cuts Ties With Israeli Drugmaker Teva Over Military Links and Misconduct

The Royal College of Nursing Cuts Ties With Teva UK Over Military Links and Corruption Fines

“Teva has no place sponsoring professional bodies dedicated to healing, care and preserving human life,” a Nurses for Palestine spokesperson said after Britain’s nursing union severed commercial ties with the Israeli pharmaceutical giant. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) dropped Teva UK as both a commercial partner and a sponsor for an upcoming October 30, 2026 event on migraine and headache services at its London headquarters.

The decision affects more than 500,000 nurses represented by the RCN across the United Kingdom. The union acted following sustained campaigning by Nurses for Palestine and UK Healthcare Petitions to Royal Colleges (UKHPRC). Activists in those groups argued that partnering with a firm entangled in military supply chains and corporate scandals directly conflicts with the ethical obligations of healthcare professionals.

Carmel O’Boyle, chair of the RCN ruling council, confirmed the policy shift in a letter to campaigners. O’Boyle stated that further due diligence revealed numerous Teva Pharmaceuticals operations subject to public scrutiny and legal sanction that failed to align with RCN values. The upcoming leadership summit on headache services will still proceed as planned without Teva’s financial backing.

Corporate Misconduct and Legal Sanctions Fuel the Decision

Over the past decade, regulatory authorities in Europe and the United States have penalized Teva with approximately £1 billion in total fines and settlements. The European Commission imposed a €462.6m fine on the company in 2024 for blocking rival drugmakers from marketing generic competitors to Copaxone, its multiple sclerosis treatment, across seven European nations for periods lasting between four and nine years.

In 2023, the drugmaker entered an agreement with the US Department of Justice to pay $225m in fines as an alternative to prosecution to resolve price-fixing charges related to three medications. Those penalties followed a 2016 settlement with US federal regulators totaling $519m to resolve civil and criminal charges involving bribery of government officials in Russia, Ukraine, and Mexico.

Pro-Palestine Groups Clash With Pharmaceutical Leadership

Grassroots organizers celebrated the RCN policy change as a milestone for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Activists criticized RCN leadership for previously invoking political neutrality while maintaining financial partnerships with companies connected to the Israeli state’s wartime mobilization.

Representatives from UKHPRC described continuing commercial ties with firms implicated in violations of international law as unthinkable for modern medical organizations. In contrast, Teva UK defended its standing as one of the National Health Service’s biggest suppliers of medicines. A company spokesperson expressed disappointment over the union’s choice, stating that healthcare functions best when centered entirely on patients rather than being politicised.

Protest Campaigns Expand Toward the Royal College of Pharmacy

Campaigning organizations have already shifted their focus to other professional medical associations in the United Kingdom. Activists are demanding that the Royal College of Pharmacy cancel an upcoming exhibition presence and drop Teva UK as a sponsor for its annual conference scheduled for the following month.

Teva representatives have indicated they are seeking further dialogue with RCN officials to address the dispute.

As one of the largest suppliers of medicines to the UK we have valued our longstanding partership with the RCN and the opportunity it has provided to support healthcare professionals and the patients they care for.