The department of pharmaceuticals along with the Karnataka Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (KDPMA) is organising a one day seminar on drugs code for marketing. The event will be held on September 16 at the Lalith Ashok in Bengaluru.

The objective is to highlight the Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP). The theme of the event is ‘Building brands-Building a future with ethical marketing practices'.

With the domestic branded business of Indian pharma sector has crossed Rs. 1 lakh crore and growing at a robust 10 per cent per annum, the prognosis is that this would double in six years. This according to the organisers is a huge opportunity for growth and will also require the industry to build skills and competencies to meet this demand.

Unlike in the past when the growth was driven by geographical expansion and new product introductions, a significant share of this was fixed dose combinations. Now the organisers see the future to be different and call for a greater focus on brand building.

The regulatory environment is fast changing and India is getting aligned to global practices in manufacturing, quality management, distribution and also marketing. Since the marketing operations in India have been fairly unregulated, the guidance of UCPMP is a significant step in the right direction that proposes to regulate pharma marketing practices.

The key note address will be delivered by the joint secretary, department of pharmaceuticals Sudhansh Pant. The other panel of speakers include Ganesh Naik, executive director & chief operating officer, Zydus Cadila, Anup Soans, founder editor MedicinMan, an e-paper focusing on field sales managers specifically for pharmaceuticals, Samir Rai, national sales manager, Meyer Organics and Dr. HN Ravindra, executive committee member Indian Medical Council, Delhi.

The seminar will help product management teams and sales personnel to understand the challenging role of UCPMP. It will bring clarity on strategies and promotional inputs including continuing medical education(CME), sampling and gifts, according to the organisers.