Govt sets up panel to review pharma marketing rules, curb unethical practices

The Department of Pharmaceuticals has constituted a committee to examine the existing regulatory framework governing pharmaceutical marketing practices and recommend measures to curb unethical activities in the sector, an official statement said on Friday. The committee will be chaired by NITI Aayog Member M Srinivas. Former Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan and Medanta CMD Naresh Trehan will serve as its members. According to the statement by Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, the panel will examine the existing regulatory set-up and suggest measures to strengthen oversight, monitoring, and enforcement mechanisms to check unethical pharmaceutical marketing practices. The panel will have to submit its recommendations within two months from the date of its first meeting, following a consultative process. The Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) was first introduced in 2015 as a voluntary, industry-led self-regulatory mechanism to promote ethical marketing and govern interactions between pharma firms and healthcare professionals. The department later introduced the UCPMP 2024, which superseded the 2015 code with a strengthened implementation framework and is currently in operation. The committee is also tasked with examining the need to bolster the monitoring and regulatory framework, and suggesting appropriate regulatory, statutory, or other legal measures for their implementation. Additionally, the panel will hold discussions with relevant stakeholders, technical, professional, and domain experts, as well as institutions and bodies. It will objectively consider their submissions while formulating its recommendations, as per the statement. The panel has also been mandated to deliberate and recommend on any other relevant issues connected with curbing unethical practices in pharmaceutical marketing, it added.