The Federation of Medical Sales Agents of India (FMRAI), which first petitioned the Supreme Court, said that the updated Uniform Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices Regulations (UCPMP), 2024, will include measures to stop unethical sales practices by drug companies. He said that there was a lack of „stops.'' , calling for the enactment of an enforceable law.
The updated code stipulates that complaints from individuals will be escalated from the industry-based ethics committee to the apex committee headed by the drug ministry secretary. However, it is not clear how drug companies that violate the guidelines will be punished, said FMRAI general secretary Santanu Chatterjee. business lineIt added that the code lacked a check to punish the unethical act of „prescription payment.“
Public health voices have also expressed concern that the industry is, in some ways, complacent.
Chatterjee said another implementation challenge is that the issue spans two different ministries, echoing concerns raised by other industry watchers. Although the UCPMP is issued by his DoP under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, many of the activities of the pharmaceutical industry related to drug research, manufacturing, marketing approval etc. fall under the purview of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The same goes for the governance of the medical profession. However, both ministries are headed by the same person, Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.
The code has guardrails in place to curb corruption in that it holds top management accountable and requires an audit trail, including reminders of acceptable brands given to doctors. However, one industry consultant pointed out that complaints submitted by individuals to various committees (regarding code violations) should be anonymized. Chatterjee agreed, adding that complaints often come from industry insiders or individuals who have witnessed corrupt practices, and that filing a complaint can be life-threatening.
The FMRAI case is currently in court and Chatterjee is hopeful that the case will be heard now that the Center has issued the latest UCPMP. In fact, in mid-2022, during one of the early hearings in the case, it was in the context of the Center's claims that the popular paracetamol Doro burst into public memory, when the company This was when it was mentioned that the company was offering freebies to obtain paracetamol products. prescribed medicine. However, the company maintained that its medicines were genuine products approved by the drug regulator and were under the Centre's price control system.