The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) claimed that it is still examining the responses from the industry bodies on the final draft of the Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) which has been pending for years now for implementation.

“There were some reports in the newspapers in regarding promotional expenses being made by the pharma companies. The reports suggested that some unethical marketing practices are being followed by certain pharma companies. Keeping in view the seriousness of the allegations made in the media reports, this Department felt the need to take up the matter in the interest of the consumers/patients as such promotional expenses being extended to doctors had direct implications on the pricing of drugs and its affordability,” according to Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Srikant Kumar Jena.

“After discussing the issues with the pharma associations/industry, this Department prepared a draft ‘Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices’ (UCPMP) to be adopted voluntarily in the first instance. The UCPMP was put up on the Department’s website www.pharmaceuticals.gov.in for inviting the comments from all the stakeholders. The comments received were examined and final draft UCPMP was prepared and circulated to pharma associations for their comments. The comments received are being examined,” he informed the Parliament recently.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry is reportedly to be planning to take up the issue of unethical practices by the pharma companies with the DoP on the ground that such practices were adding to the cost of medicines and were inducing the healthcare practitioners to prescribe costly and irrational medicines.

The Planning Commission, in its document for the current Five Year Plan, had also called for mandatory implementation of the code of conduct that would identify and penalize unethical promotion on the part of pharma companies. It also had recommended mandatory disclosure by companies about the expenditure on drug promotion.