Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) 2024, which was notified by the Union government recently, prohibits pharmaceutical corporations from giving healthcare workers or their families personal rewards. Gifts, travel, hospitality, cash, and monetary grants are restricted marketing perks.
The code stipulates that each association’s ‘Ethics Committee for Pharma Marketing Practices’ handles code violations. This committee will include three to five members and be led by the board CEO.
According to the Department of Pharmaceuticals, the Board of Association must approve the committee appointment and publicize it on the website.
The standard code requires pharmaceutical CEOs to follow it. After each financial year, pharma executives must submit a self-declaration to the association within two months. It will be posted on the organization website or the Department of Pharmaceuticals’ UCPMP portal.
Pharma businesses, distributors, agents, wholesalers, and retailers should not give presents to healthcare workers or their families, according to the Department of Pharmaceuticals. The Department of Pharmaceuticals released UCPMP in 2014.
Healthcare professionals and their families should not receive train, air, ship, cruise, or paid vacations from firms or their representatives.
Healthcare practitioners should not receive travel expenses for conferences, seminars, workshops, etc. unless they are speakers. Pharma corporations should not offer healthcare workers or their families luxury stays, fancy food, resort accommodations, etc. if they are not speakers.
The government stated, “No pecuniary advantage or benefit in kind may be offered, supplied, or promised to any person qualified to prescribe or supply drugs by any pharma cos/agent/distributors, wholesalers, retailers,
They are also advised not to give money to healthcare professionals or their families.
The code also prohibited giving free medicine samples to unqualified prescribers.
Criminal penalties
The code required companies to record product name, doctor name, sample quantity, date of free sample distribution to healthcare practitioners, etc. The corporation should not distribute samples worth more than 2% of its domestic sales per year, it added.
The criminal section states that “If an entity violates the Code, the Committee might propose suspension or expulsion from the Association. Or rebuke the entity and disclose how.”
The entity found in violation of the code must release a correction statement in the same (and other relevant) media as promotional material: textual or audio-visual. The code also requires it to report the corrective statement’s content, method, and time to the committee for approval.
The corporation must also inform the committee of its efforts to collect money or things provided in breach of the code from the concerned personnel. The business must also write to the committee on its action.
It added, “The Committee may send its recommendations to any government agency or authority that is responsible for disciplinary, penal, or remedial action in accordance with the statute through the Department of Pharmaceuticals.”
