Centre Forms Three-Member Panel to Review Pharma Marketing Rules and Gifts to Doctors

The Indian government has established a three-member committee to review regulations governing pharmaceutical marketing practices, with particular attention to gifts, hospitality, sponsored travel and other benefits offered to doctors by drug manufacturers. The move aims to strengthen transparency, accountability and enforcement in the pharmaceutical sector amid continuing concerns that promotional incentives could influence medical prescriptions.

The committee was constituted by the Department of Pharmaceuticals on October 22, 2026. It will examine whether the existing regulatory framework is adequate to prevent unethical practices and recommend measures to improve compliance.

M. Srinivas to Lead the Review Committee

The committee will be headed by M. Srinivas, a member of NITI Aayog and former director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi.

The other members are Preeti Sudan, former Union Health Secretary, and Dr Naresh Trehan, chairman and managing director of Medanta Hospitals.

The panel has been directed to submit its recommendations to the Department of Pharmaceuticals within two months of its first meeting. It will consult relevant stakeholders and consider their suggestions before finalising its recommendations.

Its responsibilities include assessing existing monitoring and enforcement arrangements, identifying gaps in implementation and proposing measures to improve transparency, accountability and compliance.

The committee will also consider whether the current framework needs stronger regulatory provisions, statutory backing or other legal measures.

Why Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices Are Under Scrutiny

The review comes amid longstanding concerns about interactions between pharmaceutical companies and healthcare professionals.

Drug manufacturers routinely promote medicines to doctors, but certain incentives can raise ethical concerns when they have the potential to influence prescribing decisions. These practices may include gifts, hospitality, sponsored travel, entertainment and other financial or material benefits.

The central concern is that prescribing decisions should be guided by patients’ medical needs and reliable clinical evidence rather than commercial incentives.

If promotional practices influence the selection of medicines, patients may face unnecessary costs or receive prescriptions that are not the most appropriate for their conditions. Critics of the existing system have therefore called for stronger safeguards to protect independent medical judgment.

The committee is expected to examine these concerns while considering the effectiveness of the current rules.

What the Existing UCPMP 2024 Rules Provide

The principal framework currently governing pharmaceutical marketing is the Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices, or UCPMP 2024.

Introduced in March 2024, the code establishes ethical standards for pharmaceutical companies and their interactions with registered medical practitioners. It prohibits companies from providing personal gifts, monetary benefits and hospitality to doctors and their family members, subject to the provisions of the code.

The framework also establishes procedures for handling complaints through ethics committees associated with pharmaceutical industry organisations, with an appeals mechanism at the Department of Pharmaceuticals.

Companies are required to comply with applicable disclosure and reporting provisions. The system is intended to improve transparency and encourage responsible promotion of medicines.

However, concerns have persisted over whether the existing arrangements provide sufficiently effective enforcement against companies that violate the rules.

The newly appointed committee will assess the effectiveness of these mechanisms and consider whether additional legal safeguards are necessary.

Supreme Court Case Adds Urgency to the Review

The government's move follows continuing legal proceedings concerning the regulation of pharmaceutical marketing.

The Federation of Medical and Sales Representatives’ Associations of India and other petitioners have sought a legally enforceable framework, arguing that voluntary or industry-led arrangements may not be sufficient to prevent unethical promotional practices.

On October 8, 2026, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to constitute a committee to examine the need for statutory regulation and recommend an appropriate framework.

The dispute has also raised questions about whether pharmaceutical companies should face clearer legal consequences when they offer prohibited incentives to healthcare professionals.

The government has previously maintained that the existing system can be strengthened through improved disclosures, oversight and complaint handling. The new panel will examine the available options before making its recommendations.

What Happens Next?

The committee's findings could influence how pharmaceutical marketing is regulated in India. Its recommendations may address enforcement procedures, monitoring mechanisms, transparency requirements and the possible need for additional statutory provisions.

No final changes to the existing framework have been announced as part of the committee's formation. The UCPMP 2024 remains the operative code while the review proceeds.

The panel's recommendations, expected within two months of its first meeting, will provide the government with a basis for considering further action. The outcome could shape how pharmaceutical companies promote medicines and how their interactions with healthcare professionals are monitored in the future.