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The news regarding the government plans on finalising a policy to cap margins of medicines and medical devices across the supply chain has been in the headlines recently. Now, a group of civil society bodies have opined that this move alone will not help make these products affordable.\nThey have written to Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers calling for a statutory code to prevent corruption and unethical marketing practices in these industries. The group, consisting of the All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN), Third World Network (TWN), Partners in Change, Praxis: Institute for Participatory Practices and Prayas, Rajasthan, states \u201cWe\u2026 submit that TMR (trade margin rationalisation) regulation will not be successful as an isolated policy. The government must bring a statutory instrument for legal oversight of marketing and promotion of pharmaceuticals and medical devices.\u201d The group also claims that numerous instances of corrupt promotional activities and failure of the industry to self-regulate using the Department of Pharmaceuticals\u2019 (DoP) Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) have been brought to the government\u2019s attention.
\nIf the code is found to be implemented ineffectively, the government ‘may’ consider making it a statutory code.
\n\u201cWe are dismayed that, in spite of repeated requests, the government has not brought out a statutory code, which we can only presume is due to pressure against such an initiative from the pharma industry lobby,\u201d stated the group in its letter to the Minister. The patient groups asked DoP to \u201cimmediately\u201d replace the voluntary UCPMP with a statutory instrument to regulate pharmaceutical and medical device marketing and promotion.
\nThe group, in the letter, demanded that the regulation should have ‘strong’ penal and enforcement provisions and cover ‘all relevant actors’, including pharma and medical device companies, their agents, medical professions, medical associations and health institutions. It also states that care must be taken specifically to ensure escape routes are closed for companies to organise the same unethical practices legitimately.
\nThe letter to the minister follows a recent study on promotional practices of India\u2019s pharma industry by Arun Gadre and Archana Giwate of Pune-based public health group SATHI. They stated that trends in promotional strategies have changed from providing scientific information to doctors to only focussing on generating business by any means. But the study has been opposed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), which has reportedly asked the Maharashtra Medical Council to take action against the researchers.<\/p>\n