World’s largest nursing union cuts ties with Israeli drugmaker Teva
World’s largest nursing union cuts ties with Israeli drugmaker Teva Submitted by Elis Gjevori on Fri, 10/02/2026 - 13:39 Pro-Palestine groups hail a 'major breakthrough' after the Royal College of Nursing ends its commercial partnership with leading pharmaceutical firm Teva Teva's plant in Neot Hovav, an industrial zone south of Beersheba, Israel, on 14 December 2017 (Menahem Kahana/AFP) Off The…
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN), the world's largest nursing union, has severed ties with Israeli pharmaceutical company Teva due to concerns over its association with the Israeli military, involvement in apartheid policies, and a history of corruption and bribery scandals. This comes after a letter from Nurses for Palestine and the UK Healthcare Petitions to Royal Colleges (UKHPRC) urging the RCN to take a stand against Teva's involvement in the ongoing Gaza genocide and its ties to the Israeli state's military apparatus.
The RCN's council chair, Carmel O’Boyle, announced the decision, stating the union would no longer allow Teva UK to sponsor its nursing leadership summit event on 30 October 2026. Pro-Palestine groups welcomed the move, calling it a "major breakthrough" for the BDS movement seeking to isolate Israel over its human rights violations.
Teva, the world's largest maker of generic drugs, expressed disappointment with the RCN's decision, accusing the union of politicizing healthcare. The company has faced numerous fines and lawsuits over price-fixing, bribery, and market abuse, with a recent US lawsuit alleging ongoing price-fixing scandals.
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