ISLAMABAD: It is well known that pharmaceutical companies provide doctors and other medical personnel with lavish gifts and leisure trips as favors, but authorities are now acting to address the pharma-physician relationship.
In a recent letter, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) prohibited physicians and hospital employees from traveling overseas on pharmaceutical company-sponsored excursions.
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According to the circular titled “Visits Abroad,” any requests for leave from outside Pakistan that are sent to this Ministry must be accompanied by an affidavit from the relevant officers stating that they are not traveling abroad to attend conferences or seminars and that no private company, donor, etc. is funding the trip.
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Additionally, the federal government has authorized the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) to release a new code of conduct for pharmaceutical businesses and medical practitioners.
The new rules prohibit pharmaceutical corporations from covering medical professionals’ and others’ travel expenses. In addition, as stated in the announcement, physicians are not eligible to be reimbursed for overseas travel expenditures unless they have a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from their organization.