Posted On:
23 OCT 2026 6:42PM by PIB Delhi
The Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, has constituted a Committee to comprehensively examine the existing regulatory framework governing pharmaceutical marketing practices and recommend measures to strengthen oversight, monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to curb unethical practices in the pharmaceutical sector.
Dr. M. Srinivas, Member, NITI Aayog has been named as the Chairperson of the committee with Smt. Preeti Sudan, Former Union Health Secretary, and Dr. Naresh Trehan, CMD, Medanta, as its members. The Committee will have to submit its recommendations within a period of two months from the date of its first meeting, after undertaking the requisite consultative process.
The Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) was introduced in 2015 as a voluntary, industry-led self-regulatory mechanism to promote ethical pharmaceutical marketing and regulate interactions between pharmaceutical companies and healthcare professionals. The Department subsequently introduced UCPMP 2024, which superseded the 2015 version and strengthened the implementation framework. The 2024 Code is currently in operation.
The Committee will undertake a comprehensive examination of issues relating to unethical pharmaceutical marketing practices and make recommendations on the following Terms of Reference (ToR):
a) To undertake a holistic and comprehensive examination of all issues relating to unethical pharmaceutical marketing practices.
b) To examine the efficacy of the existing mechanisms for monitoring, oversight and enforcement with respect to unethical pharma marketing practices, and to identify measures required to ensure greater transparency, accountability and effective compliance.
c) To examine the need for measures required to strengthen the existing monitoring and regulatory framework and to suggest appropriate regulatory/statutory or any other measures and legal framework for implementation of such measures as necessary.
d) To discuss with concerned stakeholders, technical, professional and domain experts, institutions or bodies, as considered necessary and consider their submissions objectively while submitting its recommendations on the matter after a comprehensive examination.
e) To deliberate and recommend on any other relevant issue in connection with curbing unethical pharma marketing practices.
ORDER
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