The allegations of pharmaceutical companies using unethical ways to get doctors to prescribe their medicines have become a hot topic recently, so much so that the Prime Minister himself met pharma industry leaders earlier this week in this regard.

An NGO, Support for Advocacy and Training to Health (SATHI), had brought out a report last year, alleging that pharma companies employ a host of underhand methods to lure doctors. Taking note of the allegations, the central government had told pharmaceutical firms last December it would be forced to draft laws and restrict the marketing practices of pharma companies if they did not adhere to the Uniform Code of Pharmaceuticals Marketing Practices (UCPMP). The December meeting had government officials issuing the warning to the representatives of Indian Drug Manufacturers’ Association, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliances, and Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India.

A couple of weeks later, on January 2, the PM met with the senior officials of leading pharmaceutical companies to address the issue of unethical marketing practices. Reportedly, the PM warned the companies against bribing doctors with women, foreign trips, and electronic gadgets.

The NGO’s allegations

SATHI’s report claims that tactics like emotional appeals, serving family members, sponsorships for national and international conferences have become a standard marketing approach of pharma companies. While earlier the focus used to be on disseminating scientific information about the products, medical representatives (MRs) have now resorted to gaining business by any possible means. The study alleged that MRs also offer debit or credit cards and even e-vouchers for online purchasing on popular e-commerce websites.

While the study by SATHI underlined the lack of regulatory checks to prevent unethical practices, it was found that hardly 20% of the doctors followed the prescribed ethics. It said the duration of MRs training period has reduced from a month to a week and they are not made aware of the regulations.

The study revealed that different strategies are used for different types of doctors, core and secondary. “The doctors who set the prescription pattern in the field are sought after and looked after well,” the study stated.

It also highlighted another controversial phenomenon wherein the doctors now allegedly put pressure on pharma companies for incentives. The pharma companies now directly deal with the doctor to generate prescriptions to boost their sales.

According to the report, pharma companies have even found methods to circumvent the regulatory codes. Such companies now appoint a doctor on a research project or an advisory board and keep paying them in kind, though gold coins or jewellery, the report stated.

Disclaimer- The views and opinions expressed in this article do not reflect the official policy or position of M3 India.

The author, Ankush Bandyopadhyay, is a reporter with 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.