New Delhi: Doctors are being stopped from turning up in large numbers for pharma junkets that are used by manufacturers to offer freebies in exchange for prescribing particular drugs.   

The government is now restricting the number of participants at the so-called pharmaceutical educational seminars, workshops, and conferences that are often nothing more than free junkets.

As part of the plan, the Department of Pharmaceuticals has directed all pharmaceutical associations to ensure that the speaker-to-doctor participant ratio doesn’t exceed 1:10.

The government has already notified the Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP), 2024 with an objective to introduce transparency and ensure ethical conduct by pharmaceutical and medical device makers in their marketing.

The code restricts pharma firms from offering freebies such as gifts, travel, hospitality and money to doctors.

“With reference to para 6.2 of the UCPMP 2024, notified by this department on 12 March 2024, it is hereby clarified that there is no requirement of prior approval from DoP in respect of the Continuing Medical Education (CME)/Continuing Professioanl Development (CPD) programmes being organized within the country. However, the organizers shall ensure that number of speakers is kept within the speakers to participants ratio of 1:10. The same norms would apply to conferences, seminars, workshops, etc being organized by the third parties,” said DoP communication issued to all pharmaceutical associations seen by Mint dated 5 October 2024.

“We have received the communication from DoP and we understand that there should not be too many doctors or participants in the event. If we are calling one good speaker, then it should have10 doctors as participants for training programmes. Government does not want these events to be jamborees,” Daara Patel, Secretary General at Drugs Manufacturers Association (IDMA) said.

Focus on quality and safety

Meanwhile, the government is also working to improve the quality and safety of drugs manufactured in India. As a part of it, India is overserving 2nd year of National Good Manufacturing Day (cGMP) to ensure that highest level of quality and safety parameters are followed by drug makers while manufacturing their products.

“We have already sent the information to all the pharmacy colleges and pharma companies to take a pledge on GMP that we are very serious about quality of drugs. IDMA in collaboration with Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences is supporting is sensitizing students and member companies about all government initiatives that GMP & patient safety is our utmost priority” said Daara Patel, Secretary General at IDMA.

Queries sent to the health ministry spokesperson remained unanswered.