India’s proposed pharma marketing rules hit hurdle

MUMBAI: The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) endeavour to bring in pharma marketing rules has hit the roadblack, with the Ministry of Law rejecting the proposal.

The law ministry, as quoted by media reports, said the rules cannot be passed under the proposed legal framework, that is, under the Essential Commodities Act of 1955.

The move has left many health experts and activists dismayed.

“The major concern is that this is an indefinite delay after over an over two-year wait,” Reuters quoted Malini Aisola, a member of the All India Drug Action Network, as saying. “With this development, we are worried it will not see the light of day.”

After two years of effort, DoP came out with the rules aimed to curb unethical practices in the pharma industry across the country.

With diseases rampant throughtout year, there is always a high demand for the drugs across the country, which positions India among the leading drug markets of the world.

Source: Media reports