Pharma dept refuses to name 30 docs penalized for Paris, Monaco trip

DESPITE a Centre-appointed panel under the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) reprimanding AbbVie Healthcare India Pvt Ltd for violating the uniform code for pharmaceutical marketing practice (UCPMP) by sponsoring trips to Monaco and Paris, in France, for 30 doctors worth ₹1.91 crore, the department has refused to share the names of the "offending" doctors against whom action was to be initiated.

- KAVITA BAJELI-DATT @ New Delhi

Revealing the names would involve disclosing personal information of individuals and it was not in public interest, the department said, defending its decision. Notably, the refusal to share the names of the doctors by the DoP under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers comes five months after activist Dr K V Babu filed an RTI over the matter.