Saddened to note the arrest of a senior executive of a very reputed Indian pharmaceutical company.
What preceded this arrest was the arrest of a top government officer for allegedly receiving a bribe to waive the Phase 3 clinical trial of the an injection developed by one of the most reputed pharma company to control Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes.
Few more arrests have been made in the case including of the person who was allegedly paying this bribe to the concerned officer.
Not sure if the allegations in this case prove to be true. However, this dents India’s image of being ‘Pharmacy of the World’.
Having said that, looks like pharma sector is losing immunity against malpractices – why is Indian pharma mired in such unethical actions?
There is no hidden secret about the malpractices plaguing the pharma sector – doctors get expensive gifts, foreign trips in the name of seminars (discussing no one knows what) and their families get to go on luxury holiday cruises. Doctor clinics have promotional posters of particular medicines, equipment and the like and more pharma representatives are in queue than patients. My friends keep telling me some doctors are getting luxury cars every 3 years from pharma companies.
Why?
Doctors are persuaded to prescribe particular medicines or clinical tests – which they dutifully do. Many a times, you will find doctors prescribing medicines which are available only with a particular pharmacist.
This is after a medicine is in the market.
Before a product hits the market, same pharma companies engage with so many departments for trials, tests and what not. Non-adherence to protocols is a really big issue here. It seems (in day to day language of common Indians) bribes grease the wheels of such proposals and add weight to applications.
Bribes to government officials are of two kinds. One is the bribe you pay to violate any law or process or get out of turn approvals. Second type is to even get your legal, rightful and routine work done at a government office. Sad but true, industry and officials both are to be blamed for this bribe culture. If no one takes bribe, no one will dare to bribe and if no bribes are available, no one will dare ask for a bribe.
The punishment for proved bribery cases should be so exemplary that it acts as a deterrent for prospective bribe seekers and givers both. The judicial delays, current low conviction rate and extent of punishment are no deterrents.
Like all professions, unethical practices have invaded pharma and medical sectors as well. Here, any unethical practice could even mean the difference between life and death of any number of people.
Intensive clean up required immediately.
