Overview
- The Department of Pharmaceuticals set up the three-member expert committee on October 23 to review rules on gifts, hospitality and other incentives used to influence doctors.
- The panel is chaired by NITI Aayog member M. Srinivas and includes former health secretary Preeti Sudan and Medanta chairman Dr Naresh Trehan.
- The committee must consult stakeholders and submit recommendations to the DoP within two months of its first meeting, with a mandate to assess monitoring, oversight, enforcement and possible legal changes.
- On October 24 the Working Group on Access to Medicines and Treatments asked the DoP to replace Dr Trehan, citing a potential conflict of interest tied to his Medanta role, and the department has not announced any reconstitution.
- The review comes against the voluntary, industry-led UCPMP 2024 and a 2021 Supreme Court case by FMRAI seeking a statutory regime, and its outcome could change how transparency, complaints and penalties are enforced and affect hospital and drug costs for patients.