Unethical Marketing Practices Rottening Indian Pharma Ecosystem

In India, the care and treatment of COVID-19 at the height of the coronavirus epidemic came to be associated with Dolo-650 mg pills. Profits for the drug's maker, Micro Labs, increased dramatically. The corporation was investigated for tax evasion at the beginning of 2022. Later, the company was charged with giving physicians gifts worth INR 1,000 crores to get them to prescribe Dolo-650 mg as the go-to medication, according to the Federation of Medical & Sales Representatives Association of India (FMRAI). The event has drawn attention to how pharmaceutical corporations employ deceptive marketing strategies to entice doctors to prescribe their products.

The Indian Pharmaceutical Industry has long been the target of accusations that it engages in unethical marketing techniques for pharmaceuticals. In addition to harming the general population, unethical pharmaceutical marketing makes it difficult for regulatory agencies to keep such practices under control. The dubious communication channel between pharmaceutical corporations and medical professionals is one of the areas of unethical behavior in the field of medicine that is emphasized.

According to the Government of India's own draught pharmaceutical policy from 2017, pharmaceutical corporations engage in unethical behaviour when they offer costly flights and other gift baskets to induce doctors to prescribe their brands. The patients, who are the end consumers of these medications, are ultimately responsible for paying for the privileges enjoyed by the practitioners. There are currently no restrictions that control how pharmaceutical corporations name and sell their products to healthcare professionals. Only the Professional Conduct, Etiquette, and Ethics Regulations of the Indian Medical Council, 2002 have a role in controlling such unethical behaviors. The aforementioned restrictions forbid doctors from taking any perquisites from pharmaceutical corporations, such as gifts or trips.

Rotting Ecosystem Drugs are being overused, overprescribed, prescribed in greater doses or for longer periods of time, and prescribed in nonsensical combinations due to unethical drug marketing that have a negative impact on doctors' prescription attitudes. For instance, several physicians prescribed dolo-650 during COVID-19 rather than the typical 500 mg dose. For the duration of the fever, taking 2-3 dolo-650 a day wouldn't necessarily be harmful. However, excessive paracetamol usage has been related to serious liver damage. Dolo-650 is not recommended for those with persistent alcoholism, liver illness, or renal disease.

In the US, physicians would prescribe addicting painkillers while ignoring or hiding their negative side effects. Aside from health issues, this puts a strain on consumers' finances because doctors are more likely to prescribe branded drugs than the more affordable generic alternatives. Not to mention that it goes against the spirit of competition and might endanger the existence of smaller pharmaceutical firms that lack the financial resources of the major giants. This forces the doctor to act in the patient's best interest rather than the company's, violating the Hippocratic Oath. Continued use of such methods also undermines patients' faith in medical professionals and the overall health care system.

Things to Change In healthcare, a patient's decision is exclusively based on a doctor's suggestion. There is a significant information gap between the patient and the doctor. Patients have minimal knowledge about the drug, giving doctors a dominant position. Patients will take any medication that is recommended. This unfair circumstance is abused. The Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP), which has been developed by the government, was created to address this unbalanced connection and encourage ethical behavior by pharmaceutical corporations.

It provides advice to pharmaceutical businesses on what to do and not do while marketing their drugs. It is not a mandatory code for businesses; instead, it is optional. The Government has not made the UCPMP obligatory despite appeals from several lobbying groups and NGOs. According to detractors, pharmaceutical companies urge the Department of Pharmaceuticals to maintain the Code's voluntary nature. Pharma firms must educate and inform physicians about their goods. However, the line between legal promotions from illegal incentivization is blurry, making it challenging to make the distinction.

The Way Ahead The Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP), according to the Federation of Medical and Sales Representatives' Associations of India, should be made a legally obligatory code of ethics. The FMRAI President argues that Pharma firms should suffer the same sanctions as those listed in the Indian Penal Code for bribery and other similar unethical actions if they are found guilty of unethically pushing medicine brands to doctors. In addition to other requirements, the code must require periodic disclosures of payments made by businesses to medical professionals and professional organisations, either directly or indirectly through third parties. It should be available to the public and specify the payment's amount, goal, and recipient.