According to a Supreme Court petition, drug manufacturers need to answer for bribing physicians with freebies in an effort to induce them to prescribe their products. One significant instance cited in the petition was the claim that doctors were allegedly offered freebies totalling Rs 1000 crores in exchange for prescribing the medication Dolo 650 for Covid-19 users.
Senior judge DY Chandrachud heard the plea and said that “I don’t find this to be relaxing. When I had COVID, I was also asked to have the same. This is a really severe subject, “. The centre has been ordered by the judge to investigate the claims and submit a report within 10 days.
Sanjay Parikh, a senior attorney representing the Federation of Medical and Sales Representatives Association of India, said “The drug pricing authority sets the price for 500 mg of paracetamol. However, when you up the dosage to 650 mg, it exceeds the restricted price. It is being heavily pushed because of this. This was an illustration of a gift. Even when they are not necessary, additional antibiotics are available on the market and are promoted in various combinations. A legal framework is required to regulate drug compositions, “, according to India Today.
A Statutory Code of Ethical Marketing for the Pharmaceutical Industry, with Penalties, Needs to Be Established to Curb Such Practices for the Enforcement of the Fundamental Right to Health of the People of India, according to the Petition, which also added that such violations have become very common. The petition also claimed that because the current Code is voluntary, unethical behaviour has continued to rise and has been more pronounced throughout the pandemic.
