It aims to ensure transparency, accuracy, and integrity in pharmaceutical advertising while preventing misleading claims, unethical inducements, and conflicts of interest.
The code outlines standards for interactions with healthcare professionals, restrictions on promotional gifts, ethical advertising practices, and responsible patient education.
Although there were long-standing expectations that the 2015 Code would be legally enforced, it remained a voluntary guideline for pharmaceutical companies to follow in their marketing practices.
[4][5] The Ethics Committee for Pharma Manufacturing Practices (ECPMP) is responsible for handling violations of the UCPMP, with penalties ranging from suspension to corrective actions.
Also, the May 2024 circular issued by the DoP, confirmed that the self-declaration form applies to the 2024–25 fiscal year, effectively granting these guidelines a quasi-statutory status.