NMC Yet To Take Action Against 30 Doctors Named in Rs 1.91 Cr Freebie Case- RTI Response
New Delhi: Months after the Apex Committee for Pharma Marketing Practices (ACPMP) under the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) reprimanded AbbVie Healthcare India Pvt. Ltd. for violating the Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) by sponsoring foreign trips worth Rs 1.91 crore for 30 doctors, the National Medical Commission (NMC) is yet to disclose any action taken against the involved healthcare professionals.
The development comes in response to a recent Right to Information (RTI) request filed by Dr Babu K.V., which sought the list of 30 doctors and details of disciplinary measures initiated under the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002.
The case had earlier revealed that AbbVie funded travel and accommodation for 30 doctors to attend two international events, the Aesthetics & Anti-Aging Medicine World Congress 2024 held in Monaco and Paris, under the guise of professional medical conferences. A special audit conducted by the Department of Pharmaceuticals confirmed the violation of both UCPMP 2014 and 2024, establishing that the trips amounted to unethical promotion of aesthetic products like Botox and Juvederm.
"The results of the Special Audit validated that all facts mentioned in the complaint were accurate and that M/S. AbbVie was in breach of UCPMP 2014 and UCPMP 2024," stated the ACPMP order dated December 23, 2024.
In its final ruling, the Apex Committee issued a formal reprimand to AbbVie and directed the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the NMC to take action. Specifically, the committee ordered, "The National Medical Council (NMC) is requested to take action against the 30 offending HCPs as per Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002."
In response to the RTI filed by Dr Babu K.V., the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) confirmed that it had forwarded the matter to NMC. In a letter, the Ministry stated:
“In this connection, you are informed that the information requested by you is not available with Medical Education-I Section of MoHFW and therefore may be treated as ‘NIL’.”
“However, the requested information regarding list of doctors whose names are forwarded to NMC chairman based on the order of 23/12/2024 by the apex committee is related to National Medical Commission (NMC). Therefore, your RTI applications are transferred under Section 6(3) of RTI Act, 2005 to NMC for furnishing the requisite information directly to you.”
However, in its reply dated April 29, 2025, the NMC stated:
“Please to refer to your RTI application, dated 03.03.2025, received on 17.04.2025 in Ethics Section and to furnish the reply as follows:
SI. No. 1 - List of 30 doctors is yet to be received by this commission.
SI. No. 2 & 3 — “Not pertains to EMRB. Information may be sought from Deptt. of Pharmaceuticals."
This response has raised concerns over transparency and enforcement of ethical standards in the medical profession. Despite receiving the list of 30 doctors and a directive from the highest committee on pharmaceutical ethics, NMC has neither confirmed any disciplinary action nor disclosed the names of the doctors involved.
As the government seeks to enforce UCPMP 2024 more rigorously, all eyes are now on NMC to uphold its responsibility under the professional conduct regulations.
