TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
THE CONTEXT: The Department of Pharmaceuticals has introduced the Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) 2024, aimed at regulating interactions between pharmaceutical companies and healthcare professionals.
EXPLANATION:
- The code encompasses various provisions concerning promotional activities, engagement in Continuing Medical Education (CME), and the promotion of drugs.
Restrictions on Promotional Activities
- The UCPMP prohibits pharmaceutical companies from offering sponsored gifts, monetary grants, or foreign trips to healthcare professionals or their families.
- Additionally, medical representatives are forbidden from employing inducements or subterfuge to secure interviews with healthcare professionals.
- The code emphasizes transparency and integrity in all interactions between pharmaceutical companies and healthcare professionals.
Guidelines for Continuing Medical Education (CME)
- Engagement of pharmaceutical companies with healthcare professionals for CME should adhere to well-defined, transparent, and verifiable guidelines.
- The conduct of such events in foreign locations is prohibited under the uniform code.
- This ensures that educational activities remain free from undue influence and prioritize the dissemination of accurate and unbiased medical information.
Prohibition of Pecuniary Advantages
- The UCPMP explicitly prohibits the provision of cash, monetary grants, or pecuniary benefits to healthcare professionals or their family members by pharmaceutical companies or their representatives.
- This measure aims to prevent conflicts of interest and maintain the integrity of medical practice.
Regulation of Drug Promotion
- Promotion of drugs must align with the terms of their marketing approval and must not precede receipt of marketing approval from the competent authority.
- Claims regarding the safety and efficacy of drugs must be based on up-to-date evaluation of evidence.
- The use of terms such as “safe” and “new” is regulated to ensure accuracy and prevent misleading advertising.
Compliance and Oversight
- The UCPMP is to be circulated for strict compliance, with pharmaceutical associations tasked with establishing Ethics Committees for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices.
- Associations are also required to create dedicated UCPMP portals on their websites and provide detailed procedures for lodging complaints.
- This facilitates transparency, accountability, and enforcement of the code’s provisions.