UCPMP 2024: Uniform Code for Pharmaceuticals Marketing Practices

Context

The Department of Pharmaceuticals issued the UCPMP 2024 (Uniform Code for Pharmaceuticals Marketing Practices).

Key Highlights of the UCPMP 2024 On Ethical Practices of Pharma Companies

• Transparent and Clear set of Rules: The pharmaceutical sector should only engage with healthcare professionals for Continuing Medical Education (CME) based on clear, transparent, and verifiable rules.
• Prohibition of Activities in Foreign Countries: Conducting such activities in foreign countries is prohibited by the uniform code.
• Prohibition from offering Incentives: Medical representatives shall not offer any incentives or pay for access to a healthcare practitioner.
• No Pecuniary Grant to Healthcare Professionals: Companies or their representatives should not pay cash or monetary grants to any healthcare professional or their family members (both immediate and extended) under any pretext.
  • Gifting is prohibited by any pharmaceutical company or its agent (distributors, wholesalers, retailers, etc).
• No benefit in Kind:  No pharmaceutical corporation or its representative may offer, supply, or guarantee any financial or in-kind benefit to any individual competent to prescribe or supply medications.
• No Paid Travel and Accommodation: Pharmaceutical businesses or their agents should not provide paid travel or hotel accommodations to healthcare professionals or their family members, unless the person is a CME speaker.
• Allowed Funds for Research: The Union government has granted corporations permission to donate research funds to healthcare experts, as long as they do it in a transparent manner.
• Supporting Research Studies: The guidelines enable the industry to fund research for studies approved by organizations such as the Indian Council for Medical Research/ the Drug Controller General of India.

Key Highlights of the UCPMP 2024 On Drugs

• Consistent with Marketing Approval: The UCPMP states that promotion of a drug must be consistent with the terms of its marketing approval.
• Accurate Assessment: Claims about a drug’s usefulness must be based on an up-to-date assessment of all available evidence.
• Specifying Exact details and Effects: The term ‘safe’ should not be used without qualification, nor should it be asserted categorically that a medicine has no adverse effects, toxic dangers, or risk of addiction.
• Categorically using the word “New”: Any drug or therapy intervention that has been widely advertised in India for more than a year cannot be described as ‘new’.

Implementation of the UCPMP 2024:

• Formation of an Ethics Committee: All associations have been asked to form an Ethics Committee for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices in order to ensure rigorous compliance with the UCPMP.
• Establishing a Dedicated Portal: Create a dedicated UCPMP portal on their website and take essential steps for code implementation.
• Grievance Redressal: All Indian pharmaceutical associations are required to post the UCPMP on their websites, along with a thorough method for registering complaints.
  • This will be linked to the UCPMP portal of the Department of Pharmaceuticals.

Need for the UCPMP 2024:

• Preventing Unethical Practices: The UCPMP 2015 for Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Industry is being implemented (effective 1.1.2015) to prevent pharmaceutical businesses from engaging in unethical acts.
• No Legal Backing: Much of the criticism directed at this version of the code stemmed from its voluntary character. There was no legal backing for its provisions, therefore they remained impotent.
• Making the Guidelines Mandatory: Several health campaigners have long demanded that it be made mandatory. The Department of Pharmaceuticals’ annual report for 2017-18 pressed on making it mandatory.
  • While the government has now removed the word ‘voluntary’ from the code, which was there in the previous version, it has stopped short of making it mandatory.
• Request by the Government: It has now simply’requested’ the pharmaceutical industry’ organizations to ensure that the code is ‘executed’.

News Source: Business Standard

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