PHARMACEUTICAL DRUG PROMOTION IN PAKISTAN: ISSUES IN ETHICAL AND NON-ETHICAL PRACTICES

Abstract

Common People and government authorities are usually concerned about the unethical pharmaceutical marketing practices in Pakistan, therefore; the researcher examines the unethical pharmaceutical marketing practices in Pakistan, and selected Karachi City as Case study for this purpose and analyze the impact of unethical marketing practices in pharmaceutical industry. This study not only evaluates the responsible variables for the unethical pharmaceutical marketing practices but also compare who is more responsible for these unethical pharmaceutical marketing practices in Pakistan. This study also examines, who has initiated these unethical pharmaceutical marketing practices in Pakistan and who is responsible for the continuation of these practices in Pakistan. In this study researcher focuses six variables that can be a major cause of unethical pharmaceutical marketing practices in Pakistan i.e. Pharmaceutical marketing and Sales personnel, doctors’ community, retail and whole sales pharmacies, government and private hospitals personnel, government officials and patients or their attendants’. All these six variables have been taken and gathered the data through survey questionnaire, compile and analyze through Statistical tools like descriptive and inferential Statistics both and conclude the main cause of unethical pharmaceutical marketing practices in Pakistan. In the under taken study four different hypotheses were developed and tested through Z and F test and also analyze the data through descriptive Statistics, for the descriptive Statistics four different parameters were developed and presented in the form of graphs and tables. The conclusion of the study was that initially pharmaceutical industry was responsible to introduce the unethical marketing practices to their customers i.e. doctors community, and hospitals and later on unethical pharmaceutical marketing practices became the norm of the pharmaceutical industry. Now the doctors are the main cause or reason for the continuation of these unethical pharmaceutical marketing practices in Pakistan. It is further concluded in the study that foreign visits are more common tools in order to get maximum output from the doctor community and now doctors have become more demanding and they ask themselves regarding the foreign and local tours and conferences. Cash incentive and home appliances are another form of unethical practices in the pharmaceutical industry. Clinic and home decoration are also the findings of unethical pharmaceutical marketing practices in the under taken study. However, it is also found that some demands from the doctors’ community or the offers by the pharmaceutical companies are quite ethical genuine regarding the scientific meeting and local & international scientific conferences. It is further concluded that all the stakeholders are agreed that these unethical pharmaceutical marketing practices can be stopped. They are also agreed non-qualified doctor’s practice should be eradicated. Pharmaceutical companies should strictly abide the rules and regulations, which are already mentioned and given in the pharmaceutical marketing code of ethics, at the same time Pakistan Medical Association and Pakistan Medical and Dental Association should restrict to the doctors community to practice in the limit of ethical and moral grounds. Governmental agencies are also responsible to enforce the prevailing laws with their true spirit on pharmaceutical companies. If any further legislation is required in order to stop these unethical pharmaceutical marketing practices then further legislation should be taken place and strict laws should be made and implemented.