Foreseeing an imminent decline in career prospects of medical representatives all over the country due to the recent statement by prime minister on framing rule for prescription of generic, the associations of medical representatives will soon hold a convention in New Delhi with participation from industry, trade and doctors.

The entire team will altogether seek appointment with the prime minster to apprise the government of the situation prevailing in the pharma market in the country, sources informed.

According to pharma sales persons, there will not be any career progression in future if the Union government is going ahead with its plan to amend D&C Rules for mandatory generic prescriptions. The decision will impact on the careers of medical reps very badly as they are the promoters of various brands. Pharmaceutical sales persons are in fact the key point of contact between pharmaceutical companies and healthcare professionals. They are also representing the manufacturing companies of medical devices. If the prescription of doctors is restrained to generic versions, the market situation will not be conducive for their work.

A medical rep with pharmacy educational background said a general convention will be held in New Delhi in the last week of May 2017 or in the first week of June, in which members of all medical rep associations in the country will attend. The industry heads representing major pharmaceutical companies engaged in the production of patented drugs, representatives of MNCs, doctors treating various life-style diseases, office-bearers of chemists and druggists associations, distributors associations, pharma marketers and hospital managements will let out their opinions freely on the government plan.

Confused over the forthcoming situation, he said all the medical representatives are now foreseeing a vacuum in their career shortly.

According to Ramesh Sundar, general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Medical and Sales Representatives’ Association (TN MSRA), which is affiliated to Federation of Medical and Sales Representatives Association of India (FMRAI), said the prime minister’s statement has actually put the medical representatives in the country into panic.

“If the doctors should prescribe the medicines in generic names in capital letters, what is the use of brands here? This decision of the government is confusing the entire pharma industry. Prime minister has to clarify the thing. How can IMA support his decision,” Ramesh asked.

Commenting on the issue, the chairman of the Tamil Nadu Drugs Manufacturers Association, J Jayaseelan, said there are about fifty lakh field workers for the Indian pharma industry, including representatives and different designated executives. Once their family members, a minimum of three each, are also counted up, the total dependents of the medical rep community alone will go up to one crore fifty lakh.

Similarly, there are more than thirty lakh stockists operating in the country, and if three fold of their number is taken, it will go up to ninety lakhs. These people are directly or indirectly depend on medical profession for their livelihood. In addition to this, there are skilled workers and professionals in the manufacturing units and business offices, and in allied sectors. The number of retail chemists comes around ten lakhs. These are all highly educated and potential personnel with good caliber and working for the healthcare needs of the country. Then how a government can stop their services in a vast country like India, he asked.

To a query, Jayseelan said it is the work of medical representatives that increases product awareness, answer questions, keeps doctors up-to-date about latest changes in medical sciences, introducing new products, delivering product samples, etc.