The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers has constituted a three-member committee to take a fresh, end-to-end look at how pharmaceutical marketing is governed in India, and to recommend whether the current Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) needs stronger oversight, enforcement or even statutory backing.

The panel will be chaired by Dr M. Srinivas, Member, NITI Aayog and former Director of AIIMS New Delhi. Its other members are Preeti Sudan, former Union Health Secretary, and Dr Naresh Trehan, Chairman and Managing Director of Medanta. According to the department’s order dated 22 October 2026, made public through the Press Information Bureau on 23 October, the committee must submit its recommendations within two months of its first meeting, after completing the required consultations. The date of that first meeting has not yet been fixed.

From voluntary code to UCPMP 2024

The UCPMP was first introduced in 2015 as a voluntary, industry-led self-regulatory mechanism. Its aim was to ensure that the promotion of medicines is accurate, balanced and evidence-based, and that prescribing and treatment decisions are not improperly influenced by gifts, financial inducements or other benefits offered to healthcare professionals. The department later notified UCPMP 2024, which superseded the 2015 version and strengthened its implementation architecture. The 2024 code is currently in operation.

The review comes after representative bodies of medical representatives and other stakeholders raised concerns about the effectiveness of the self-regulatory approach, as reported by Business Standard.

What the committee will examine

The terms of reference are broad. The committee has been asked to:

• undertake a holistic examination of all issues relating to unethical pharmaceutical marketing practices;
• assess how well the existing monitoring, oversight and enforcement mechanisms are working, and identify steps to improve transparency, accountability and compliance;
• examine whether the regulatory framework needs strengthening, and suggest regulatory, statutory or other measures, including a legal framework for implementation where necessary;
• consult stakeholders, technical and professional experts, institutions and other bodies, and consider their submissions; and
• deliberate on any other issue connected with curbing unethical marketing.

The DoP will provide secretarial assistance to the panel.

Why it matters for the industry

For drugmakers, the explicit reference to possible statutory measures is the most significant element. Any move from a code-based regime towards legally enforceable rules could reshape how companies engage with doctors, structure medical education and conference sponsorships, deploy field forces and document promotional spending. Compliance, medical affairs and commercial teams will be watching the consultation process closely.

No changes have been made yet. Any revision of the framework will depend on the committee’s recommendations and on the decisions the government takes after that.

The composition of the panel, which combines a medical academic and policy adviser, a former health administrator and a leading hospital founder, suggests that the review will weigh clinical, regulatory and healthcare-delivery perspectives alongside industry submissions.

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