India’s pharmaceutical industry is one of the largest and fastest-growing industries in the world. Medicines are produced and exported not only for the domestic market but also globally. Medicines are directly related to the health and life of the general public, so transparency, ethics and responsibility are very important in this industry. But for a long time it has been observed that pharma companies resort to such methods, which are considered unethical, to establish their products in the market and get them prescribed by doctors. Such as giving expensive gifts to doctors, arranging foreign trips with family, organizing events in luxurious hotels, or providing indirect financial benefits. This trend gradually started affecting the safety of patients and the credibility of the medical system.
Keeping this challenge in mind, the Government of India took a big step. The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) released the Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP 2024) on 12 March 2024. This code is designed not just to curb companies but to establish a culture of ethical conduct in the entire health sector. Its objective is to make transactions between companies and health professionals transparent, give top priority to the well-being of patients and strengthen the trust of society in the medical sector.
Key provisions of UCPMP 2024
1. Strict ban on gifts and benefits
By now it had become a common practice for pharma companies to promote their products by giving gifts to doctors or other health professionals. These gifts were sometimes in the form of expensive gadgets, sometimes in the form of foreign trips and sometimes in the form of cash or other facilities. The result was that these benefits started influencing the decisions of doctors. In such cases, often the same medicine was prescribed for which the company had given benefits, even if another medicine was more effective or cheaper.
UCPMP 2024 has come to stop this situation. Under this, giving any kind of gift, hospitality or financial benefit is now completely prohibited. This means that now doctors and health professionals will have to take decisions only keeping in mind the scientific quality, safety and patient needs of the medicines. This provision is very important towards creating a fair and ethical environment in the health system.
2. Continuing Medical Education and Transparency
Continuous development of knowledge and skills is necessary in the health sector. For this, Continuing Medical Education (CME), Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and various seminars and workshops are organized. But it has been seen for a long time that many companies used these educational programs as a means of promotion and profit. Doctors were invited to luxurious hotels, where a large part of the expenditure was spent on the promotion of products.
UCPMP 2024 has imposed strict control on this. Now any kind of CME or CPD-related event should be completely transparent. Companies will have to ensure that the purpose of the program is only educational and professional development, not promotion. Its expenses will be recorded with proper documents and they will also be independently audited. This will give doctors an opportunity to gain knowledge in a fair and impartial environment and will also maintain public trust.
3. Open Disclosure of Events
Earlier, pharma companies used to organize big events, but the general public or regulatory agencies did not have any clear information about their expenses and sources of funds. This led to the apprehension that the real motive behind these events is more publicity than education.
UCPMP 2024 solves this problem. Now all companies will have to make complete information about their events public. This will include where the event took place, how much was spent, where the funds came from and for what purpose it was done. It will be mandatory to put this information on the official website of the company. Apart from this, independent audits will also be done from time to time so that no information can be hidden. This step will play a decisive role in increasing transparency and establishing trust among the public.
4. Ban on organizing events at foreign locations
It was often seen that companies took doctors and experts to conferences or events held abroad for their brand promotion. Their purpose in this was less educational development and more promotion of their products. This not only led to excessive expenditure but also raised suspicion that these trips influenced the decisions of doctors.
UCPMP 2024 has completely banned such events. Now no pharma company will be able to go abroad for promotional activities. If any international-level educational event is to be organized, then its permission and details will also have to be clarified under the rules. This provision makes the pharma sector more accountable and domestically focused.
5. Company accountability
So far it has been seen many times that whenever a company was accused of unethical activities, the responsibility was put at the lower level. But UCPMP 2024 has ended this trend. Now the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of every pharma and medical device company will be held personally responsible. They will have to give a self-declaration of compliance every year, certifying that their company has followed this code throughout the year.
This step is extremely important, as it will fix accountability at the top level. Companies will now have to work with the thought that violation of any rule will have a direct impact on the credibility and responsibility of their CEO. This will ensure stricter compliance with the rules.
6. Grievance and redressal process
UCPMP 2024 has established a systematic and fair grievance redressal system. In this, complaints will be resolved at two levels. At the first level, complaints against the companies will be investigated and a decision will be taken. If the complainant is not satisfied with that decision, he can appeal directly to the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP).
This process is not only transparent but also ensures that no complaint is suppressed or ignored. With this system, doctors, patients and other stakeholders can register their complaints without any fear and expect to get fair justice.
7. Wide scope
The scope of UCPMP 2024 is not limited to only drug manufacturing companies. It covers all stakeholders associated with the pharmaceutical industry—manufacturers, agents, wholesalers, distributors and even medical device companies. This means that now transparency and ethics will be ensured at every level of the supply chain. This step is also important because many times irregularities happen not only at the manufacturing level but also at the distribution level.
Objective of UCPMP 2024
1. Stop unethical practices
The biggest objective of UCPMP 2024 is to completely stop the unethical practices that have been going on in the health sector for a long time. When doctors prescribe a medicine based on greed or temptation, patients not only get more expensive medicines than necessary but sometimes less effective medicines are also given. This is a direct tampering with the health of the patient. The purpose of the new code is to ensure that such a situation does not happen again and doctors take decisions based only on scientific facts and the needs of the patient.
2. Promote transparency and trust
This code ensures that all activities between health professionals and companies are transparent. When events, expenses and policies are public and are independently audited, the trust of patients and society in this sector will be strengthened further. Transparency will also ensure that there is less chance of corruption and bias in the health sector.
3. Safety and welfare of patients
Patients are the center of this entire system. Their welfare and safety should be paramount. When doctors and companies focus only on the quality and efficacy of medicines, patients will get the right treatment. The new code ensures that the patient is given the medicine that is most suitable for him, not the medicine that a company has pushed for promotion.
4. Credibility of the health system
When the entire health system works in an ethical and transparent manner, it will have an impact on the entire society. The credibility of doctors and companies will increase and the trust of patients will also deepen. In the long run, this will make India’s medical system even more reliable and strong at the international level.
Conclusion
The Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP 2024) is a historic step for the Indian pharmaceutical and health industry. It is not just a list of rules but a system that establishes ethics, transparency and accountability in the entire industry. Through this code, the government has given a clear message that the well-being of patients is paramount and any kind of unethical practice will not be tolerated.
If implemented properly in the future, it will not only strengthen the health system in India but will also enhance the credibility of the Indian pharma industry at the global level.