Medical Dialogues
  • Dermatology
Login Register
This site is intended for healthcare professionals only
Login Register
  • MD Brand Connect
  • Vaccine Hub
  • MDTV
    • Breaking News
    • Medical News Today
    • Health News Today
    • Latest
    • Journal Club
    • Medico Legal Update
    • Latest Webinars
    • MD Shorts
    • Health Dialogues
  • Fact Check
  • Health Dialogues
Medical Dialogues
  • Medical News & Guidelines
      • Anesthesiology
      • Cardiology and CTVS
      • Critical Care
      • Dentistry
      • Dermatology
      • Diabetes and Endocrinology
      • ENT
      • Gastroenterology
      • Medicine
      • Nephrology
      • Neurology
      • Obstretics-Gynaecology
      • Oncology
      • Ophthalmology
      • Orthopaedics
      • Pediatrics-Neonatology
      • Psychiatry
      • Pulmonology
      • Radiology
      • Surgery
      • Urology
      • Laboratory Medicine
      • Diet
      • Nursing
      • Paramedical
      • Physiotherapy
  • Health news
      • Doctor News
      • Government Policies
      • Hospital & Diagnostics
      • International Health News
      • Medical Organization News
      • Medico Legal News
      • NBE News
      • NMC News
  • Fact Check
      • Bone Health Fact Check
      • Brain Health Fact Check
      • Cancer Related Fact Check
      • Child Care Fact Check
      • Dental and oral health fact check
      • Diabetes and metabolic health fact check
      • Diet and Nutrition Fact Check
      • Eye and ENT Care Fact Check
      • Fitness fact check
      • Gut health fact check
      • Heart health fact check
      • Kidney health fact check
      • Medical education fact check
      • Men's health fact check
      • Respiratory fact check
      • Skin and hair care fact check
      • Vaccine and Immunization fact check
      • Women's health fact check
  • AYUSH
    • Ayurveda
    • Homeopathy
    • Siddha
    • Unani
    • Yoga
  • State News
      • Andaman and Nicobar Islands
      • Andhra Pradesh
      • Arunachal Pradesh
      • Assam
      • Bihar
      • Chandigarh
      • Chattisgarh
      • Dadra and Nagar Haveli
      • Daman and Diu
      • Delhi
      • Goa
      • Gujarat
      • Haryana
      • Himachal Pradesh
      • Jammu & Kashmir
      • Jharkhand
      • Karnataka
      • Kerala
      • Ladakh
      • Lakshadweep
      • Madhya Pradesh
      • Maharashtra
      • Manipur
      • Meghalaya
      • Mizoram
      • Nagaland
      • Odisha
      • Puducherry
      • Punjab
      • Rajasthan
      • Sikkim
      • Tamil Nadu
      • Telangana
      • Tripura
      • Uttar Pradesh
      • Uttrakhand
      • West Bengal
  • Medical Education
      • Ayush Education News
      • Dentistry Education News
      • Medical Admission News
      • Medical Colleges News
      • Medical Courses News
      • Medical Universities News
      • Nursing education News
      • Paramedical Education News
      • Study Abroad
  • Industry
      • Health Investment News
      • Health Startup News
      • Medical Devices News
      • Pharma News
      • Pharmacy Education News
      • Industry Perspective
  • MDTV
      • Health Dialogues MDTV
      • Health News today MDTV
      • Latest Videos MDTV
      • Latest Webinars MDTV
      • MD shorts MDTV
      • Medical News Today MDTV
      • Medico Legal Update MDTV
      • Top Videos MDTV
      • Health Perspectives MDTV
      • Journal Club MDTV
      • Medical Dialogues Show
This site is intended for healthcare professionals only
LoginRegister
Medical Dialogues
LoginRegister
  • Home
  • Medical news & Guidelines
    • Anesthesiology
    • Cardiology and CTVS
    • Critical Care
    • Dentistry
    • Dermatology
    • Diabetes and Endocrinology
    • ENT
    • Gastroenterology
    • Medicine
    • Nephrology
    • Neurology
    • Obstretics-Gynaecology
    • Oncology
    • Ophthalmology
    • Orthopaedics
    • Pediatrics-Neonatology
    • Psychiatry
    • Pulmonology
    • Radiology
    • Surgery
    • Urology
    • Laboratory Medicine
    • Diet
    • Nursing
    • Paramedical
    • Physiotherapy
  • Health news
    • Doctor News
    • Government Policies
    • Hospital & Diagnostics
    • International Health News
    • Medical Organization News
    • Medico Legal News
    • NBE News
    • NMC News
  • Fact Check
    • Bone Health Fact Check
    • Brain Health Fact Check
    • Cancer Related Fact Check
    • Child Care Fact Check
    • Dental and oral health fact check
    • Diabetes and metabolic health fact check
    • Diet and Nutrition Fact Check
    • Eye and ENT Care Fact Check
    • Fitness fact check
    • Gut health fact check
    • Heart health fact check
    • Kidney health fact check
    • Medical education fact check
    • Men's health fact check
    • Respiratory fact check
    • Skin and hair care fact check
    • Vaccine and Immunization fact check
    • Women's health fact check
  • AYUSH
    • Ayurveda
      • Ayurveda Giuidelines
      • Ayurveda News
    • Homeopathy
      • Homeopathy Guidelines
      • Homeopathy News
    • Siddha
      • Siddha Guidelines
      • Siddha News
    • Unani
      • Unani Guidelines
      • Unani News
    • Yoga
      • Yoga Guidelines
      • Yoga News
  • State News
    • Andaman and Nicobar Islands
    • Andhra Pradesh
    • Arunachal Pradesh
    • Assam
    • Bihar
    • Chandigarh
    • Chattisgarh
    • Dadra and Nagar Haveli
    • Daman and Diu
    • Delhi
    • Goa
    • Gujarat
    • Haryana
    • Himachal Pradesh
    • Jammu & Kashmir
    • Jharkhand
    • Karnataka
    • Kerala
    • Ladakh
    • Lakshadweep
    • Madhya Pradesh
    • Maharashtra
    • Manipur
    • Meghalaya
    • Mizoram
    • Nagaland
    • Odisha
    • Puducherry
    • Punjab
    • Rajasthan
    • Sikkim
    • Tamil Nadu
    • Telangana
    • Tripura
    • Uttar Pradesh
    • Uttrakhand
    • West Bengal
  • Medical Education
    • Ayush Education News
    • Dentistry Education News
    • Medical Admission News
    • Medical Colleges News
    • Medical Courses News
    • Medical Universities News
    • Nursing education News
    • Paramedical Education News
    • Study Abroad
  • Industry
    • Health Investment News
    • Health Startup News
    • Medical Devices News
    • Pharma News
      • CDSCO (Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation) News
    • Pharmacy Education News
    • Industry Perspective
  • Home
  • News
  • Industry
  • Pharma News
  • Unethical Marketing...

Unethical Marketing Practices Of Pharma Companies: SC to examine UCPMP code implementation

Medical Dialogues BureauWritten by Medical Dialogues Bureau Published On 2022-03-12T12:34:19+05:30  |  Updated On 14 March 2022 11:10 AM IST
Unethical Marketing Practices Of Pharma Companies: SC to examine UCPMP code implementation
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
  • Telegram
  • Email

"No enforceable law exists which regulates the promotion of drugs by pharmaceutical companies vis-à-vis healthcare professionals, and therefore unethical practices continue unfettered," the plea said

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to examine a plea seeking a direction to Centre for formulating a Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) to curb unethical practices of Pharma companies and ensure an effective monitoring mechanism, transparency, accountability as well as consequences of violations.

A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Surya Kant issued notice to the Centre seeking its response in six weeks saying it wants to know what the government has to say on this issue.

Also Read:Setback: GSK proposal to market Meningococcal group B Vaccine rejected by CDSCO panel

At the outset, senior advocate Sanjay Parikh, appearing for petitioner 'Federation of Medical and Sales Representatives Association of India', said that this is an important issue in the public interest and there is a recent judgement by this court which said that both bribe-giver or bribe-taker both are prohibited.

He said that Pharmaceutical companies are saying that they are not liable as the bribe-takers are the doctors and in foreign countries, they have legislation to curb these unethical marketing practices.

Parikh said that the government should look into it and the code should be made statutory in nature as "we all know what happened with Remdesivir injections and other drugs of those combinations".

The bench said can this not be worked out by making a representation to the government.

Parikh said that they have already done this and have been pursuing it with the government since 2009 and till the government comes out with the code, this court may lay down some guidelines.

The plea filed through advocate Aparna Bhat sought direction that till an effective law is enacted as prayed, this Court may lay down the guidelines to control and regulate unethical marketing practices by pharmaceutical companies or in the alternative make the existing Code binding with proper and reasonable modifications/additions, which should be followed by all the authorities/courts under Articles 32, 141, 142 and 144 of the Constitution.

The plea added that the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations of 2002 prescribe a Code of conduct for doctors in their relationship with pharmaceutical and allied health sector industry, and prohibit acceptance of gifts and entertainment, travel facilities, hospitality, cash or monetary grants by medical practitioners from Pharmaceutical companies.

"This Code is enforceable against doctors, however, does not apply to drug companies, leading to anomalous situations where doctors' licenses are cancelled for misconduct which is actuated, encouraged, aided, and abetted by pharma companies. The pharma companies go scot-free", it added.

The plea said that though termed as 'sales promotion,' in fact, direct or indirect advantages are offered to doctors (as gifts and entertainment, sponsored foreign trips, hospitality, and other benefits) in exchange for an increase in drug sales.

It said that unethical drug promotion can adversely influence doctors' prescription attitudes and harm human health by over-use/ over-prescription of drugs, prescription of higher doses of drugs than necessary, prescription of drugs for a longer period than necessary, prescription of the higher number of drugs than necessary and prescription of an irrational combination of drugs.

It said that the pharmaceutical companies use high-pressure promotion practices to lure physicians to prescribe irrational combination drugs to generate massive sales.

"These drugs are usually without approval in medical texts and are potentially injurious to health. Hundreds of these combinations have been banned by the Government of India on several occasions, however, drug companies have managed to continue flooding the Indian pharmaceutical markets with combination drugs", it said.

The plea said that since 2005, the Petitioners have been seeking effective prevention and control of unethical marketing practices in the pharma industry by way of an enforceable Code of Ethical Marketing, through regular interaction with the Centre.

"Petitioners seek enforcement of the fundamental right to health enshrined in the Right to Life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India in view of the ever-increasing instances of unethical marketing practices by Pharmaceutical Companies in their dealings with healthcare professionals resulting in the prescription of excessive and/or irrational drugs and a push for high-cost and/or over-priced brands, which are practices that directly affect citizens' health, violating their rights under Article 21 of Constitution", it said.

The plea said that there are abundant examples that show how corruption in the pharmaceutical sector endangers positive health outcomes and puts patients' health at risk. "As violations of this kind have become a recurring phenomenon and are progressively becoming more pervasive, the Petitioners pray that a Statutory Code of ethical marketing for the pharmaceutical industry, with penal consequences, be established to curb such practices for the enforcement of the Fundamental Right to Health of the people of India. Due to the voluntary nature of the existing Code, unethical practices continue to increase and have also surfaced during the COVID-19 times", it added.

It said that no enforceable law exists which regulates the promotion of drugs by pharmaceutical companies vis-à-vis healthcare professionals, and therefore unethical practices continue unfettered.

Also Read:Bharat Biotech says supply chains not impacted by Russia-Ukraine conflict

supreme courtUniform CodePharmaceutical Marketing PracticesPharmaceuticalPharma CompaniesFederation of Medicalpharma companiesSales Representatives Association of IndiaUCPMPUniform Code of Pharmaceuticals Marketing Practices
Source : PTI
Medical Dialogues Bureau
Medical Dialogues Bureau

    Medical Dialogues Bureau consists of a team of passionate medical/scientific writers, led by doctors and healthcare researchers.  Our team efforts to bring you updated and timely news about the important happenings of the medical and healthcare sector. Our editorial team can be reached at editorial@medicaldialogues.in.

    Show Full Article
    Next Story

    Editorial

    Real-World Case study: Darbepoetin Alfa for Chemotherapy-Induced Anemia in Metastatic Breast Cancer - Dr Aditya Murali

    Real-World Case study: Darbepoetin Alfa for Chemotherapy-Induced Anemia in Metastatic Breast Cancer...

    Aspirin in Primary Prevention- When to Consider?

    Aspirin in Primary Prevention- When to Consider?

    Featured image representing medico legal

    What's the Role of Expert Opinion in Medical Negligence?

    7- Point Discharge Protocol for AECOPD: Time to Inculcate in Practice

    7- Point Discharge Protocol for AECOPD: Time to Inculcate in Practice

    Aspirin Use in Women Aged 40-50 with Diabetes and Hypertension: Identifying the Ideal Candidates

    Aspirin Use in Women Aged 40-50 with Diabetes and Hypertension: Identifying the Ideal Candidates

    View All

    Journal Club Today

    Real-World Case study: Darbepoetin Alfa for Chemotherapy-Induced Anemia in Metastatic Breast Cancer - Dr Aditya Murali

    Real-World Case study: Darbepoetin Alfa for Chemotherapy-Induced Anemia in Metastatic Breast Cancer...

    View All

    Health News Today

    Health Bulletin 09/ May/ 2025

    Health Bulletin 09/ May/ 2025

    View All
    © 2022 All Rights Reserved.
    Powered By: Hocalwire
    X
    We use cookies for analytics, advertising and to improve our site. You agree to our use of cookies by continuing to use our site. To know more, see our Cookie Policy and Cookie Settings.Ok