Why in News ?

Alliance of Doctors for Ethical Health Care (ADEH) disappointment over the recent reply by the Minister of Chemicals and fertilizers in the Parliament that there is no decision yet from the part of the government to make Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) mandatory.

Aim of the code : Pharma companies offer allowances and extra benefits in order to procure businesses. The code aims to stop such unethical practices. 

Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP)

• Voluntary code issued by the Department Of Pharmaceuticals relating to marketing practices for Indian Pharmaceutical Companies and as well medical devices industry.
• The order will cover doctors, chemists, hospitals, and states.
• Also UCPMP Code is applicable on Pharmaceutical Companies, Medical Representatives, Agents of Pharmaceutical Companies such as Distributors, Wholesalers, Retailers, and Pharmaceutical Manufacturer’s Associations. 
• It aims at pharmaceutical companies not to indulge in unethical practices and stop giving freebies to the doctors with a purpose to procure business.
• What are the restrictions under UCPMP ?
  • UCPMP Code prohibits extending travel facility inside the country or outside, including rail, air, ship, cruise tickets, paid vacations, etc., to HealthCare Professionals and their family members for vacation or for attending conference, seminars, workshops, CME programme etc. as a delegate.
  • UCPMP Code’s regulations regarding Hospitality and Cash or Monetary Grant are same as the MCI Regulations.
  • UCPMP Code also provides that free samples of drugs shall not be supplied to any person who is not qualified to prescribe such product.
    • Free samples can only be supplied to persons qualified to prescribe such product and provides limitations on the distribution of free samples.
• Proposal against alleged Company
  • Suspend or expel the company from the Association
  • Reprimand the company and publish details of that reprimand
  • Require the company to issue a corrective statement in the media (covering all media)
  • Ask the company to recover items from the concerned persons, given in violation of the UCPMP Code, 2014.

Current status of UCPMP

• UCPMP was made voluntary for six months from 1st January 2015 AND reviewed after six months.
  • ADEH has been demanding from time to time that the UCPMP be made mandatory to bring fairness in marketing of the drugs.
• Global experience also shows that voluntary code does not work.
• Voluntary code which was introduced in 2015 has not yielded desired results and the government would make it mandatory.

Source : The Hindu

Topic

GS II : Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation

Current Affairs Compilation : 28 September 2020