Govt. issues marketing code for pharmaceutical firms

Subject: Science and tech

Section: Health

Context:

The Department of Pharmaceuticals introduced the Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP), 2024, establishing specific guidelines for pharmaceutical marketing and interactions with healthcare professionals.

Key Guidelines:

The terms “safe” and “new” for drugs must be used cautiously.
- “Safe” should not imply no side effects, toxic hazards, or risk of addiction without qualification. “New” cannot be used for drugs available or promoted in India for over a year.
Medical representatives are prohibited from using inducements or subterfuge for interviews with healthcare professionals and cannot pay for access under any guise.
Continuing Medical Education (CME) engagements must follow a transparent, verifiable set of guidelines, prohibiting the conduct of such events in foreign locations.
Cash, monetary grants, and any form of pecuniary advantage or benefits to healthcare professionals or their family members by companies or their agents (distributors, wholesalers, retailers, etc.) are strictly prohibited.
- Gifting by pharmaceutical companies or their agents is banned.
The UCPMP mandates strict compliance and will be widely circulated.
Drug promotion must align with the marketing approval terms, prohibiting promotion prior to marketing approval receipt.
Claims about a drug’s usefulness must be based on up-to-date evidence evaluation.

Need for the guidelines:

This organized approach to pharmaceutical marketing practices aims to ensure ethical interactions between the industry and healthcare professionals while safeguarding the accuracy and integrity of drug promotion.

Source: TH