In its efforts to make the uniform code of marketing practices (UCMP) more authentic and result-oriented, the industry will soon approach Medical Council of India (MCI) to endorse the marketing code before it is implemented in the country.

On directives from the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), all the industry associations in the country are presently engaged in preparing a uniform marketing code. OPPI has taken the lead in preparing the code and had held a meeting of all major industry associations in this regard on May 12.

Though major industry associations like OPPI and IDMA had their own code of marketing practices, the need for a uniform marketing code for the entire pharmaceutical industry in the country arose after it was widely reported in the media recently that several companies, including prominent ones, still resort to unethical marketing practice of bribing doctors for prescribing their drugs.

Faced with a rising public outcry against this unethical practice, the government asked the industry to evolve a common code of ethics for all the pharmaceutical industry in the country as existing codes do not cover members of all the pharma industry associations and the government felt that there is need for a uniform marketing code to cover the entire industry. The DoP conducted two industry-government meetings on the issue and asked the OPPI to take the lead to compile the marketing code in association with all major industry associations in the country.

In the industry meeting on May 12, all major industry associations like OPPI, IPA, IDMA, SPIC, FOPE and CIPI came together to jointly work out the details of a uniform and comprehensive 'Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices' which will be applicable to all companies, engaged in pharmaceutical promotion of their products to the medical profession, across the Indian pharmaceutical industry.

Once all the associations agree to the uniform code, the association will approach the IMC for their endorsement of the final 'UCMP'.