Welcome step: Drug Companies distance themselves from docs.

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Publication: Times of India Mumbai; Date:2007 Jan 17; Section:Front Page; Page Number 1 No freebies for docs Drug Cos To Stop Gifts, Sponsorship Of Foreign Jaunts Rupali Mukherjee | TNN New Delhi: In an attempt to refrain from influencing doctors’ prescriptions, pharmaceutical companies have decided to stop sponsoring foreign jaunts of doctors and their families

to exotic locations. Gifts, in cash or kind, to doctors are also set to end. These curbs flow from a code of conduct which drug companies have agreed to apply to themselves which will restrict travel, gifts, shopping and the entertainment expenses offered to doctors for promotion of medicines. The code, drawn up by the Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India which represents companies that control nearly two-thirds of the medicine market, comes into effect from this month. The organisation said the curbs are in line

with international standards and support selfregulation through compliance. The code also seeks to restrain companies from making tall claims while promoting medicines. It says that promotion of medicines should encourage appropriate use by presenting them objectively and without exaggerating their properties. “The industry has drawn up a voluntary code as it has an obligation to enhance ethical standards, the responsibility to provide accurate

information about its medicines to support their rational use and a legitimate right to promote them,’’ OPPI director general Ajit Dangi told TOI. The authorities have long been grappling with ways to curb the rampant practice of pharma firms influencing doctors through various ‘incentives’. The government, which is trying to force companies to reduce medicine prices by cutting down “marketing margins’’, had in the past even contemplated banning prescriptions of brands and was planning to ask doctors to prescribe only formulations. The plan was later shelved. The Indian Medical Association, the country’s largest group of doctors, recently submitted a policy document on drugs and medical equipment which states that physicians should not be influenced by pharma firms while prescribing drugs and devices. Physicians will not give prescriptions in code or enter into agreements with pharmacies, the document states. IMA president Dr Sanjiv Malik told TOI that guidelines have also been issued to physicians, among them that “cash payments should not be accepted, gifts like medical textbooks or modest meals are appropriate if they serve a genuine educational function. Doc-rep ties tough to monitor New Delhi: Health ministry officials say the main problem lies in the fact that one-to-one interaction between a physician and pharmaceutical representative is too difficult to regulate. “We have information on deals between pharma companies and physicians that include offering vacation\travel expenses, cars, lavish meals and entertainment, cash and money for drug trials. Drug companies have been spending lavishly in sponsoring physicians and their spouses on trips to different places for educational symposia. Cars are also being given. We hope the medical fraternity by themselves follow the regulations in the MCI Act,’’ an official said. The Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI) code lays down clear guidelines on travel, international events, company sponsorships, hospitality and entertainment expenses, gifts and a complaint procedure in case of violations. The complaint against a company will be processed after being validated by OPPI, while the company will normally be given 30 calendar days to respond. If the firm acknowledges the breach of code, the response should indicate what action has been taken to remedy the matter. Where the firm disputes the allegation, an OPPI committee will rule on

the case. The curbs are based on the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA) code. According to the OPPI code, material on pharmaceutical products and their uses, whether promotional or otherwise, which is sponsored by a company, should clearly indicate by whom it has been sponsored. These guidelines become especially important in a country like India, where consumers are neither educated nor well-informed and are, in many cases, taken for a ride by doctors and companies. Also, no financial benefit or benefit-in-kind may be offered to a healthcare professional in exchange for prescribing certain products. TNN "The faith in the magical power of drugs often blunts the critical senses, and comes close at times to a mass hysteria, involving scientists and laymen alike. Men want miracles as much today as in the past. If they do not join one of the newer cults, they satisfy this need by worshipping the altar of modern science. This faith in the magical power of drugs is not new. It helped to give the authority of a priesthood and to recreate the glamour of ancient mysteries". - Professor Rene Dubos in his book, "The Mirage of Health".

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