Mint Primer: Why are docs in the dock over a ‘work trip’?
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. In May 2024, the DoP received an anonymous complaint alleging AbbVie Healthcare India flew 30 doctors—experts in Botox and Juvederm—to Paris and Monaco. It said the firm treated the doctors to “extravagant pleasure trips under the guise of conferences", that AbbVie purportedly flew doctors to a medical conference held in these locations.
The complainant also submitted a company sales and expense tracker, and the hotel vouchers and travel tickets of each doctor to back up their allegations. In total, AbbVie reportedly spent more than ₹1.91 crore on this trip, including flights and hotel reservations. DoP’s order says AbbVie violated the Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP), which governs financial relationships between pharma companies and healthcare providers.
It prohibits pharma firms from paying for healthcare providers’ (HCPs’) travel, stay or other hospitality for conferences in India or abroad, or give them expensive gifts. An exception is if the HCP is a speaker at a conference. This law was amended in March 2024 to make compliance mandatory; earlier, it was voluntary.
All HCPs must sign a self-declaration every financial year. Yes. Pharmaceutical companies and industry associations frequently host seminars and conferences to help HCPs stay up-to-date with new medical products and tech.
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