Union Dept. Releases Revised Pharmaceutical Marketing Code

The Union Department of Pharmaceuticals recently released the Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) 2024, a revised version of the earlier code notified in 2015.

The UCPMP 2024 aims to prohibit pharmaceutical companies from offering gifts or financial benefits of any kind to doctors or their immediate or extended family members. 

Additionally, companies are not allowed to provide travel or hospitality to healthcare professionals or their family members unless the person is a speaker at a continuing medical education program. The code also specifies a limit of Rs 1,000 on any "brand reminders" such as books, diaries, or journals given by companies to doctors.

However, a network of doctors and patients' rights advocates have criticized the code as a "window-dressing" exercise that does not hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for their unethical practices. The Alliance of Doctors for Ethical Healthcare (ADEH), a network of physicians campaigning for ethics in medicine, has expressed disappointment with the UCPMP 2024. 

They believe the code would be as ineffective as the one released in 2015. The ADEH has also highlighted the harmful impact of marketing practices that incentivize doctors to prescribe specific drug formulations, which can result in additional costs or risks for patients.

It is crucial to address these concerns as unhealthy practices by pharmaceutical companies of bribing doctors and offering them freebies can increase the cost of drugs and ultimately burden patients' pockets. Therefore, it is essential to establish a code that can effectively regulate marketing practices in the pharmaceutical industry.