Pariksha SaathiDepartment of Pharmaceuticals sets up committee under NITI Aayog Member Dr. M. Srinivas to review pharma marketing practices
The Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, announced on 23 October 2026 that it has constituted a committee to examine the regulatory framework governing pharmaceutical marketing practices and recommend measures to strengthen oversight, monitoring and enforcement against unethical practices. Dr. M. Srinivas, Member, NITI Aayog, chairs it, with former Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan and Medanta CMD Dr. Naresh Trehan as members, and it must submit its recommendations within two months of its first meeting. The Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) was introduced in 2015 as a voluntary, industry-led self-regulatory code; UCPMP 2024, which superseded it, is currently in operation.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
The Department of Pharmaceuticals issued the Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) 2024 in March 2024. The code prohibits pharmaceutical companies from giving gifts, monetary benefits and hospitality to doctors and their family members, makes companies accountable for the actions of their medical representatives, and sets up a two-layer complaint adjudication process, with appeals handled by the Department.
Check yourself: what does UCPMP 2024 prohibit pharmaceutical companies from giving doctors, and who handles appeals under it?
Gifts, monetary benefits and hospitality to doctors and their family members; the Department of Pharmaceuticals.
Revision task: from this release, note the committee's chairperson and members, its time limit and the year the first UCPMP was introduced; from the note, what UCPMP 2024 prohibits and how complaints under it are decided.
Test yourself
Who chairs the committee constituted by the Department of Pharmaceuticals in October 2026 to review pharmaceutical marketing practices?
Show the answer
Answer: Dr. M. Srinivas, Member, NITI Aayog
Dr. M. Srinivas, Member, NITI Aayog, chairs the committee; Preeti Sudan and Dr. Naresh Trehan are its members. It must report within two months of its first meeting.
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