The Federation of Medical and Sales Representatives' Associations of India (FMRAI) will soon start a nation-wide campaign against the increase in prices of essential medicines and other issues related to the pharmaceutical industry. Under the campaign, the FMRAI will collect one crore signatures from across the country and the memorandum will be submitted to the Prime Minister.

During the campaign, signatures will be collected with the help of central trade unions, national federations, student organizations, youth organizations and women's organizations spread across the country. The campaign will be completed by December end.

Major demands of the FMRAI is to reduce prices of all essential medicines and keep them under strict price control, to revive all public sector medicine and vaccine producing companies, withdraw excise duty from all essential medicines, withdraw all irrational and harmful medicines, enforce Drugs & Cosmetics Act, withdraw amendment bill on Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and develop ethical code for marketing of medicines.

The memorandum, which will be submitted to the Prime Minister after collecting one crore signatures, draws the Prime Minister's attention to several issues related to pharmaceutical industry including rise in prices of essential medicines in the country.

"Though the government had assured that quality medicines would be made available at cheaper price for the people, the reality is that the prices of medicines are increasing very sharply. Unavailability of many medicines is also threatening life of people. Particularly, closure of the public sector vaccine production units has created acute shortage of essential vaccine which is going to stop immunisation of the children in many states," the memorandum said.

Cocking a snook at the electoral promises of the UPA government, FMRAI said, "In their electoral manifesto, the UPA government assured in definite terms that they would increase budgetary investment for health which they could not reach even up to 2 per cent. Similarly, they assured that they would reduce prices of essential medicines; revive public sector medicine companies; take measure to ensure quality of medicines; etc. Almost, at the end of the regime of UPA government, all these assurances if measured critically, would establish that they have not only miserably failed but allowed a reign of anarchy which has enabled the pharmaceutical industry to do whatever they desire to earn ruthless profit and exploit poor people."