Drug industry to strictly comply with UCPMP: DoP

It has been decided that the UCPMP also covering the medical devices industry which was implemented w.e.f. January, 2015 also need to be implemented strictly.

The Health Master

February 20, 2020

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Last Updated on March 29, 2024 by The Health Master

The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) has directed the drug industry to strictly adopt and comply with the Uniform Code of Pharmaceuticals Marketing Practices (UCPMP) failing with the government will make the code mandatory.

“We have strictly instructed all the stakeholders to follow the code voluntarily. If not complied seriously, the department will bring in stricter regulations in the time to come and also think about making it mandatory for effective compliance,” said DoP secretary Dr P D Vaghela.

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The UCPMP is a voluntary code of marketing practices for pharmaceutical companies in India introduced in March 2012 by the DoP. DoP is now in process to redraft the UCPMP code and is engaged in discussions with the stakeholders from the pharma and medical device industry for their comments.

As per a DoP circular, it has been decided that the UCPMP also covering the medical devices industry which was implemented w.e.f. January, 2015 also need to be implemented strictly.

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The Pharma or Medical Device Associations are requested to intimate the action taken by them including constitution of the “Apex Ethics Committee for Pharmaceuticals Marketing Practices (AECPMP)” urgently.

In this regard, the DoP recently held a meeting of all the stakeholders which included Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IP Alliance), Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI), Indian Drug Manufacturers Association (IDMA), Confederation of Indian Pharmaceutical Industry (CIPI), Federation of Pharma Entrepreneurs (FOPE) and SME Pharma Industries Confederation (SPIC).