World’s largest nursing union cuts ties with Israeli drugmaker Teva

What Happened

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN), the world’s largest nursing union representing nearly 600,000 nurses, ended its commercial partnership with Israeli pharmaceutical company Teva UK. RCN council chair Carmel O’Boyle confirmed that Teva UK would no longer sponsor the RCNi nursing leadership summit on migraine and headache services scheduled for 30 October 2026 in London, though the event will proceed. The decision followed campaigning by Nurses for Palestine and UK Healthcare Petitions to Royal Colleges (UKHPRC), whose letter asserted Teva UK is “entangled with the Israeli military, part of the institutional apparatus of apartheid and responsible for corporate malfeasance.” The RCN said further due diligence showed Teva Pharmaceuticals operations subject to legal sanction and public scrutiny not in line with RCNi and RCN values. Teva, the world’s largest generic drugmaker, said it was disappointed and accused the union of allowing healthcare to become politicised. Over the last decade, the European Commission and US authorities ordered Teva to pay about £1 billion ($1.3bn) in fines for price-fixing, bribery and abusing its market position; Teva also faces a fresh US lawsuit over an ongoing price-fixing scandal. Pro-Palestine groups, including Nurses for Palestine and UKHPRC, welcomed the decision as a major breakthrough for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The RCN’s move marks a notable escalation in Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) pressure on Israeli companies, especially in the pharmaceutical sector, by linking corporate partnerships to allegations of Israeli military entanglement and systematic abuses. As the world’s largest nursing union, the RCN’s severing of ties with Teva—a major generic drug producer with a history of regulatory penalties—could encourage other professional bodies and trade unions to review sponsorships and commercial relationships with Israeli-linked firms amid the Gaza war and West Bank policies.

Watch For

Monitor whether other UK or international unions and professional bodies follow the RCN in cutting ties with Teva or other Israeli companies; watch for any legal or public response from Teva UK, including challenges to the RCN decision; track the US price-fixing lawsuit against Teva; and note the RCNi nursing leadership summit on 30 October 2026, which will proceed without Teva sponsorship and may see further protests or statements from Nurses for Palestine and UKHPRC.