Unethical marketing practices of drug companies have come in for sharp criticism from the medical representatives, who promote the products through the doctors and are considered to be the part and parcel of drug companies. Concerned over the increasing unethical marketing practices, more than two lakh medical representatives in the country will strike work on April 24.

Though the pharmaceutical companies associations like OPPI and IDMA have issued code of marketing ethics to its members, such practices refuse to die down as the implementation of such codes is not mandatory. Only last year, the OPPI had revised its code of marketing practices which were welcomed by one and all.

Usual unethical marketing practice indulged in by drug companies is offer of gifts, arranging foreign trips with spouse or family, complimentary tickets for concerts, etc.

Federation of Medical and Sales Representatives' Associations of India (FMRAI) general secretary DP Dubey said that though the drug companies' organisations have come out with code of marketing ethics for their member companies, the drug companies are still resorting to unethical practices to influence the doctors to promote their products.

Besides, the medical representatives are also demanding to the government to exempt essential drugs from the purview of excise duty to reduce the prices of these essential medicines. The FMRAI is also demanding to reduce the excise duty on medicine to 4 per cent from the existing 8 per cent. Dubey said that though the union government has reduced excise duty on medicines from 16 to 8 per cent in the union budget, it is not sufficient to reduce the prices of drugs.

Another major demand of the medical representatives is that the government should immediately scrap the excise exemption policy as the prices of medicines are increasing due to this policy and the consumers are not getting any benefit from this policy. The FMRAI said that it is time the government should do away with its policy of MRP-based excise duty. Excise should be levied on the cost of production, it said.

The FMRAI also expressed concern over the increasing incidents of fake drugs in the country. By organising the strike, the organisation wanted to give out a strong message to the government against fake drugs. The medical representatives will hold protest demonstrations in the national capital and also at all state capitals on April 24.