PHM-Exch> Govt to crack down on pharma-doctor nexus

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: Gopal Dabade <drdabade at gmail.com>


http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-12-26/india/36007441_1_drug-companies-drug-promotion-dcgi


Govt to crack down on pharma-doctor nexus

*Kounteya Sinha<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/toireporter/author-Kounteya-Sinha.cms>,
TNN* Dec 26, 2012, 01.25AM IST

NEW DELHI: The government is all set to crack the whip on India's shameful
pharma-doctor nexus.

The National <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/The-National>
Development
Council (NDC),  will meet on December 27 to discuss bringing a legislation
requiring drug companies to mandatorily disclose payments made to doctors
for research, consulting, lectures, travel and entertainment. Doctors
involved in ghost writing to promote pharma products will also be
disqualified.

The official NDC document says, "Mandated disclosure by pharmaceutical
companies of the expenditure incurred on drug promotion, and penalty on the
company and vetting of drug related material in continuing medical
education would be considered."

The Planning Commission says pharmaceutical marketing and aggressive
promotion contributes to irrational use of drugs and therefore there is a
need for a mandatory code to identify and penalize unethical promotion by
pharma companies. The government will also make compulsory the use of
generic names or the International Non-proprietary Name (INN), instead of
brand names, at all stages of government procurement, distribution,
prescription and use.

"Brand manufacturers will be encouraged to bid for government procurement,
but should provide medicines in generic names," the document says.
Drug companies were recently caught red-handed writing scientific
recommendations of their own products and submitting them to the Drug
Controller General of India (DCGI) after getting them endorsed by top
doctors for quicker marketing approval.

Usually, scientific recommendations are submitted by experts after they
have studied a drug's content. The endorsement is considered a crucial
testimony that convinces the DCGI to trust the drug's effectiveness, in
turn, allowing it to be launched in the market.
Thepharmaceutical
industry<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Pharmaceutical-Industry>
spent
more than 25% of its annual turnover on sales promotion alone as compared
to a paltry 7% on research and development in 2008-09.

India plans to soon introduce the 'Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing
Practices' after which the word "safe" cannot be used on a drug without
qualification and it must be stated categorically that a medicine has no
side-effects, toxic hazards or risk of addiction.

The code says, "No gifts, pecuniary advantages or benefits in kind may be
supplied, offered or promised to persons qualified to prescribe or supply
by a pharmaceutical company. Gifts for the personal benefit of healthcare
professionals (such as tickets to
entertainment<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Entertainment>
events)
also are not be offered or provided. Companies must not organize meetings
to coincide with sporting, entertainment or other leisure events. Venues
that are renowned for their entertainment must not be used."



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