Indian pharma companies have been barred from doling out freebies to doctors from January to prescribe their medicines. After an inordinate delay, the government has woken up to again curb unethical marketing practices of pharma companies by spelling out a uniform code of conduct for the industry.
The code will be voluntary to start with, and kicks in from January 1, 2015. It will be reviewed after six months, and if not implemented “effectively”, the government will “consider” making it mandatory. At present, the pharma industry follows a “self-regulatory” code that curbs unethical sales promotion and marketing expenses, bans personal gifts, and all-expense paid junkets for doctors and their families, but there have been several instances where companies have violated the code, industry experts say.
Many say that it exists only on paper as companies try to influence prescriptions through several ways. This is the first time in years that the code has been finalized by the government, as earlier attempts to do so got mired in the bureaucratic red tape. The government had first decided to ban these through a uniform code in 2008-2009, but the exercise was futile as the pharma associations did not agree to it.
When contacted, Indian Drug Manufacturers Association secretary general Daara Patel said, “The code seems to be strict. We are in consultations with the government. If we cannot educate about a particular medicine or disseminate information, how will doctors know about it.” Industry body IDMA, representing certain domestic companies and OPPI, which represents MNCs, have their own “self-regulatory” codes in place, drawn up a couple of years back, and revised again in 2013.
Industry experts say that the government's `Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices' for pharma companies has been modelled on the Medical Council of India (MCI) guidelines for doctors and healthcare professionals, which were further tightened in 2012.
The code talks about banning gifts, hospitality, medical samples, medical grants, and clarifies the relationship with healthcare professionals.
