Daily Current Affairs : 14-March-2024
The Department of Pharmaceuticals has added the Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) 2024. This set of hints ambitions to modify the interactions among pharmaceutical organizations and healthcare specialists to ensure ethical practices within the industry.
Aim of UCPMP 2024
The number one goal of UCPMP 2024 is to get rid of unethical practices that could compromise affected person care. By enforcing these guidelines, the Department seeks to foster consider among healthcare providers and pharmaceutical organizations at the same time as ensuring that affected person welfare remains the top priority.
Key Provisions of UCPMP 2024
Here are the primary provisions mentioned in UCPMP 2024:
Prohibits Gifts
- Companies are not allowed to provide gifts that would advantage healthcare specialists or their households in my view.
Restriction on Travel Facilities
- Travel and excursion advantages are restricted to occasions without delay related to Continuing Medical Education (CME) activities.
Financial Limitations
- Financial perks for people who prescribe or supply pills are constrained to save you undue have an impact on.
Ban on CME Workshops Abroad
- Conducting CME workshops in overseas nations is illegitimate, making sure that instructional sports remain local and targeted.
Drug Promotion Directive
- Promotions ought to align with marketing approval phrases.
- Claims about drug effectiveness should be supported by using contemporary proof.
- Terms like “safe” cannot be used with out proper context.
- Drugs can’t be labeled as “new” in the event that they had been to be had for extra than a year.
Rules Violation and Adherence Directive
- Any violations will be treated by using Ethics Committees for Pharma Marketing Practices (ECPMP).
- CEOs of pharmaceutical organizations are liable for compliance with those hints.
- Companies have to publish annual self-declarations to affirm adherence to the code.
Importance of UCPMP 2024
Originally issued in December 2014, those recommendations provide a framework for ethical advertising and marketing inside the pharmaceutical enterprise. While they’re voluntary, adherence is vital for retaining the integrity of healthcare. For example, in 2022, allegations arose towards the makers of Dolo-650 pills for spending ₹1,000 crore on dispensing freebies to docs, highlighting the want for such guidelines.
Ethical Concerns
The provision of freebies to doctors raises vast moral troubles. Such practices can:
- Influence prescription conduct.
- Lead to biased prescribing, in which docs pick out drugs primarily based on incentives as opposed to affected person needs.
- Erode consider within the scientific career.
Important Points:
Aim of UCPMP 2024:
- Eliminate unethical practices that compromise patient care.
- Foster trust between healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies.
Key Provisions of UCPMP 2024:
- Prohibits Gifts: No gifts to healthcare professionals or their families.
- Restriction on Travel Facilities: Travel benefits limited to Continuing Medical Education (CME) events.
- Financial Limitations: Restrictions on financial perks for prescribers.
- Ban on CME Workshops Abroad: No CME workshops in foreign countries.
- Drug Promotion Directive:
- Promotions must follow marketing approval terms.
- Claims of effectiveness must be supported by evidence.
- Terms like “safe” require proper context.
- Drugs can’t be labeled as “new” if available for over a year.
- Rules Violation and Adherence Directive:
- Violations handled by Ethics Committees for Pharma Marketing Practices (ECPMP).
- CEOs responsible for compliance.
- Annual self-declarations required from companies.
Importance of UCPMP 2024:
- Provides a framework for ethical marketing in the pharmaceutical industry.
- Highlights the need for guidelines due to past issues, such as allegations against Dolo-650 makers.
Ethical Concerns:
- Freebies to doctors can:
- Influence prescription behavior.
- Lead to biased prescribing based on incentives.
- Erode trust in the medical profession.
Why In News
The Department of Pharmaceuticals issued the Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) 2024, establishing comprehensive guidelines for interactions between pharmaceutical companies and healthcare professionals, aimed at promoting ethical practices and safeguarding patient interests.
MCQs about UCPMP 2024
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What is the primary aim of the UCPMP 2024?
A. To increase profits for pharmaceutical companies
B. To eliminate unethical practices that compromise patient care
C. To promote international drug sales
D. To regulate healthcare professionals’ salaries
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Which of the following is prohibited under the UCPMP 2024?
A. Offering travel benefits related to Continuing Medical Education (CME)
B. Providing gifts to healthcare professionals
C. Conducting workshops within the country
D. Promoting drugs according to marketing approval terms
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What responsibility do CEOs of pharmaceutical companies have under the UCPMP 2024?
A. To develop new drugs
B. To ensure compliance with the guidelines
C. To manage sales teams
D. To set prices for drugs
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Why are ethical concerns raised regarding the provision of freebies to doctors?
A. They enhance doctor-patient relationships
B. They can influence prescription behavior and lead to biased prescribing
C. They promote brand loyalty among healthcare professionals
D. They increase competition among pharmaceutical companies
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