The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) Dr Surinder Singh has asked the two prominent pharma companies, the Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy's Laboratories and Mumbai-based Piramal Healthcare, to provide all details to the Medical Council of India (MCI) regarding these companies' alleged favours to the doctors.

Recently, Dr Reddy's Labs had sponsored a conference in Hyderabad and the company is alleged to have borne all the expenses of the doctors who attended the conference. Likewise, the Piramal Healthcare recently took a group of doctors to Instanbul in Turkey for a Diabetic Conference and is alleged to have sponsored the doctors' expenses which is against the MCI norms. The MCI had recently amended the rules to end the manufacturer-doctor-trader nexus in the country and had issued a notification under which the doctors who accept any kind of gifts from pharma companies are liable for action including cancellation of their registration to practice.

When the issue became controversial, the MCI asked these companies to provide all details like the names of doctors and their registration number etc to take action against the erring doctors. MCI at present has no power to initiate any action against the erring companies offering favours to the doctors. But in spite of repeated reminders, the companies refused to respond to the MCI letters.

It is against this background that the MCI sought the DCGI's intervention to pressurise the companies to provide the details.

In separate letters to Dr Reddy's and Piramal Healthcare, the DCGI asked to provide details like the names of the doctors and registration number, particulars of the journey and the cost of the conference paid/reimbursed to the doctors or to the conference organisers on behalf of the doctors and the purpose of the conference, etc to facilitate the MCI in dispensing its duties.