Doctors from 9 states named in Rs 1.9 crore pharma freebies case, NMC orders medical councils to expedite action
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New Delhi: The accused doctors, who were found guilty of accepting a foreign trip worth Rs 1.9 crore sponsored by pharma company AbbVie, belong to at least nine states, the Times of India has reported.
Even though a total of 30 doctors were found guilty, the Government has sent only 27 names to the National Medical Commission (NMC) for taking action.
Information obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) application filed by Kerala-based ophthalmologist and a health activist, Dr. KV Babu, has revealed that of these 27 doctors, a total of 11 doctors are from Maharashtra, three each are from Gujarat and Telangana, two each from Punjab, Karnataka, West Bengal, and Delhi, and one each from Assam and Kerala.
As per the latest media report by the Times of India, the State Medical Councils of these nine States were sent the names of these doctors on December 15, 2025, for holding an enquiry and "award such punishment as deemed necessary". On May 26, the Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB) of the Apex Medical Commission sent a reminder in this regard to the State Medical Councils of Assam, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, and West Bengal.
These States received the NMC reminder as they have not submitted any action taken report yet. NMC has requested these State Medical Councils “to complete the process expeditiously in a time-bound manner”.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) had last year received a complaint stating that the pharma company AbbVie provided travel tickets and hotel accommodations for extravagant pleasure trips under the guise of conferences (Aesthetics 86 Anti-Aging Medicine World Congress 2024), which took place from February 1 to 3, 2024, and from March 26 to 29, 2024, in Monaco and Paris, respectively, for 30 doctors connected to the medical aesthetics/anti-ageing products (Botox and Juvederm).
The total expense was reported to be Rs 1.91 crore, covering flights and hotel stays. Later, while investigating the issue, the Special Audit Committee of DoP found these allegations true.
Also Read: NMC Yet To Take Action Against 30 Doctors Named in Rs 1.91 Cr Freebie Case- RTI Response
Earlier, the DoP Committee reprimanded AbbVie Healthcare and requested that the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) evaluate M/S's tax liability. AbbVie Healthcare India Pvt Ltd, along with 30 HCPs and take action in accordance with the provisions of the Income Tax Act, 1961, read with the subordinate circulars issued in this regard.
Apart from this, the Committee had also asked NMC to take action against the 30 offending doctors as per the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002.
Under the NMC Act, if a State Medical Council fails to decide a complaint within six months, the NMC can refer it to its own ethics committee.
Earlier, while commenting on the possibility of NMC taking over the matter in case the State Medical Councils failed to act, NMC Chairperson Dr. Abhijat Sheth had said that the Commission would “act firmly... as appropriate”.
