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The guidelines formulated by the Pharmaceutical companies to self-regulate the activity of indulging doctors with lucrative gifts are facing troubles.
SPIC, which is the pharma association of small companies, has shown strong reactions to the first draft proposal. The association has also expressed that it will keep on countering any proposal till it becomes legally binding or administer severe penalties in case of the infringements of the regulations.
Pharma companies treat doctors with costly gifts and incentives including arrangements for foreign tours if they prescribe their brands to patients.
4 pharma industry’s associations offered a draft proposal of the Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCMP) to Ashok Kumar, the pharmaceuticals’ secretary.
Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI) and the Indian Drug Manufactures Association (IDMA) that are the representatives of the big and medium pharma companies have made the draft proposal. They said that the draft proposal has been accepted by all the pharma bodies.
But, Lalit Kumar Jain, senior vice-chairman at SPIC, said it does not approve the draft. He added, “The document is falsified with a view to hoodwink the public about safety, efficacy and affordable drugs ”.
In order to deal with the widespread criticism over the unethical practice of the pharma companies to convince doctors to suggest their brands, the government had urged the pharma industry to come up with the guidelines for self-regulation.
Medicines cannot be promoted and their sales depend on the recommendations and prescription of doctors, which is not the case with other consumer items. Many consumers do not know about chemical ingredients in a medicine and cannot select from brands accessible in the market.
According to Mr. Jain, if the code does not have legal binding, it will not bear any effect.
Tapan Ray, OPPI director general, informed that the draft proposal has been sent to all industry bodies to get their feedback.
He added, “The final draft will be submitted to the government only when all the industry bodies agree. But having laws is not the solution and so far no country in the world has such a law. It is the enforcement of the guideline that is important ”.
The initial draft makes it mandatory for industry bodies to declare the name of any member that goes against the guidelines.
He also said, “Reputation of a company is at stake and this is the biggest deterrent”.
SPIC has also criticized the Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers, Srikant Kumar Jena, who said in the Rajya Sabha that the uniform code of conduct is acceptable to all the pharma associations.
The Economic Times
December 11, 2009
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