Pharmaceutical companies have welcomed the new Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) which aims to keep unethical practices in check. However, the Alliance of Doctors for Ethical Healthcare (ADEH) has urged the Central government to make the UCPMP mandatory, claiming voluntary codes do not work.
The Department of Pharmaceuticals replaced its earlier code regulations with the UCPMP 2024 on March 12. The revision over an earlier code notified in 2015, bans gifts or pecuniary benefits of any kind from pharmaceutical companies to doctors or their immediate or extended family members. However, ADEH in their statement claimed the new code is not mandatory for pharma companies and would be useless as the Code announced in 2015.
“The government has merely requested the pharmaceutical companies’ associations to see to it that the code is implemented,” claimed ADEH in the statement.
The UCPMP directs all associations to constitute an Ethics Committee for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (ECPMP), set up a dedicated UCPMP portal on their website, and take further necessary steps towards implementation of the Code.
Dr Arun Gadre, one of the founders and coordinator of ADEH, said, there is no penalty or scope for any other action against the company except that the company would lose membership of the association of which it is part.
{{/usCountry}}Dr Arun Gadre, one of the founders and coordinator of ADEH, said, there is no penalty or scope for any other action against the company except that the company would lose membership of the association of which it is part.
{{/usCountry}}“The only change is that now the association of Pharma Companies has been brought into the picture. This is in effect only window dressing. The worldwide experience is that voluntary marketing codes do not work. This move by the government is complete surrender to the corporate pharmaceutical sector,” he claimed.
Dr Gadre alleged the unhealthy practices by the pharmaceutical companies of bribing the doctors and giving them freebies add to the cost of the drugs which ultimately burdens the patients’ pockets.