Government sets up panel to review pharma marketing rules

The Department of Pharmaceuticals has set up a three-member committee to review the rules governing pharmaceutical marketing practices and recommend measures to curb unethical practices.

According to a recent order, the committee will examine whether the existing system for monitoring and enforcing ethical marketing practices is working effectively. It will identify gaps and recommend measures to improve transparency, accountability and compliance.

The committee will be chaired by Dr M Srinivas, Member, NITI Aayog. The other members are Preeti Sudan, former Union Health Secretary, and Dr Naresh Trehan, Chairman and Managing Director, Medanta.

The committee will review the Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP), introduced in 2015 as a voluntary, industry-led mechanism to promote ethical marketing by pharma companies. The UCPMP 2024 replaced the original code and strengthened its implementation framework.

Its terms of reference include examining issues related to unethical pharmaceutical marketing and assessing the effectiveness of existing monitoring, oversight and enforcement mechanisms.

The committee has been asked to recommend improvements to the existing framework. The government order does not specify any immediate changes to the UCPMP or announce new restrictions or penalties. Any changes will depend on the recommendations and subsequent government decisions.

The UCPMP aims to ensure that pharma promotion is accurate and evidence-based, and that doctors’ prescribing decisions are not improperly influenced by gifts, financial inducements or other benefits from pharma companies.

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