NEW DELHI: Despite a Centre-appointed panel under the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) reprimanding AbbVie Healthcare India Pvt Ltd for violating the uniform code for pharmaceutical marketing practice (UCPMP) by sponsoring trips to Monaco and Paris, in France, for 30 doctors worth Rs 1.91 crore, the department has refused to share the names of the “offending” doctors against whom action was to be initiated. Revealing the names would involve disclosing personal information of individuals and it was not in public interest, the department said, defending its decision. Notably, the refusal to share the names of the doctors by the DoP under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers comes five months after activist Dr K V Babu filed an RTI over the matter.Moreover, the DoP is yet to share the names of the doctors with the National Medical Commission (NMC), which was asked by the Apex Committee for Pharma Marketing Practices to take action against the “30 offending healthcare professionals as per Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002” in its order on December 23, 2024. As per the norms, the doctor’s licenses can be suspended if found guilty of violating the code of ethics.In its order, the committee also directed the Central Board of Direct Taxes to evaluate the tax liability of AbbVie Healthcare India Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of US-based pharmaceutical company AbbVie Inc, for unethical marketing practices, along with the 30 doctors, and to take action in accordance with the provisions of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
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