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DoP to release mandatory Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices soon
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Nandita Vijay, Bengaluru
September 21 , 2016
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The Union government is now working to release the Uniform Code of
Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) guidelines shortly. The
details on the exact time frame were not disclosed. The mandatory code
will replace the existing voluntary UCPMP. Indian pharma companies hope
to see its early implementation and are upbeat on complying with the new
UCPMP.
“UCPMP is in the last leg of clearance with the
government. The draft guidance has incorporated suggestions of the
pharma industry and other stakeholders,” said Sudhanshu Pant, secretary,
Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP).
“Our intent is that the new
code should be followed in letter and spirit. It is not a draconian law
but the penalties are stringent. We are enforcing fines. The violation
of this code could also lead to suspension of product marketing”, said
the DoP secretary who was in Bengaluru in connection with a UCPMP
seminar organised by the Karnataka Drugs & Pharmaceutical
Manufacturers Association (KDPMA) in association with the DoP in
Bengaluru.
“The voluntary code issued last year was mild but
created an awareness. We saw the industry buck up to adhere to the rules
of the new game in marketing. However, there have been several charges
against some companies during the period that violated the voluntary
code and the government is taking action as per the provisions”, he
added.
“Drafting UCPMP has been a learning phase and a new thing
for the government. The industry feedback on the UCPMP draft was
valuable. Now we need to ensure that the new guidelines which are just
round the corner are followed from the top management and percolates to
the sales teams or field force”, noted Pant.
Once a level playing
field is created then both the pharma industry and the medical
professionals will be restricted to offer and receive gifts
respectively. Ultimately, the success of UCPMP will be on how the
industry adheres to it, Pant said.
According to Sunil Attavar,
president, KDPMA, UCPMP would not have been proposed to be a statutory
law if the industry was disciplined and followed the guidelines of the
existing voluntary code 2015. But now the revised UCPMP will become a
reality as its enforcement comes in with more teeth and penal
provisions. We hope to see its early implementation so that the
uncertainty is over. There are few concerns and suggestions which we
hope have been duly taken into consideration in the final order.
“We
view the new UCPMP more as an opportunity than as a hindrance to the
growth of the sector. It is the much needed trigger for the industry to
realise and re-device strategies to market drugs. It took Indian pharma
seven decades to register the current Rs.one lakh crore sales revenues. But conservative estimates confirm that the next Rs.one
lakh crore sales could be achieved within seven years. However, it
calls for a different marketing approach. Outdated and unsustainable
marketing concepts will be replaced by solid evidence-based realizable
models. This would be the only way to take the industry to the next
level of competence and global recognition, said Attavar.
Indian
pharma has the competence to scale up and follow stringent norms. Its
ability to survive is proven with the FDCs ban and the growing list of
drugs coming under DPCO. Now UCPMP is yet another path to prove
innovation in marketing practices, said Attavar.
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