ISLAMABAD: September 24: The SECP
chairman has sent a draft code of marketing practices for the
pharmaceutical industry to the Minister of Health Services, stating
that the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), the Frontline
regulator of the pharmaceutical sector, may be advised to put in place a
mechanism for ensuring effective regulation of marketing practices in
the pharmaceutical industry. It mainly relates
to restriction on gifts to healthcare professionals.
The
recommended code for interacting with healthcare professionals further
seeks to clamp down on foreign trips by restricting industry sponsored
international conferences and
encouraging conferences and trainings of health professionals within
the country. The code also seeks to prevent such meetings from
coinciding with sports, entertainment or other leisure events or
activities.
The chairman further added that the SECP
considers it critical for the effective oversight of the marketing
practices of the pharmaceutical sector and its international image
that code for interacting with healthcare professional is put in place.
The
review of marketing expenses of pharmaceutical companies revealed
instances of weak internal control systems and the fact that a lack of
regulatory controls
over marketing practices was to some extent responsible for such
control issues. Research on the international practices on the subject
revealed that globally codes for interactions with healthcare
professionals have been developed in countries such as India,
Ireland, the Philippines and the US.
The SECP
hopes that the said voluntary code will be a first step in the
direction of ensuring ethical interaction with healthcare professionals.
The DRAP shall take this further and shall
come up with a compulsory code for healthcare professionals. The SECP
is of the opinion that such steps will ensure transparency and
accountability in the interaction between healthcare professionals and
the pharmaceutical industry
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