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No more gifts, tours to doctors by pharmaceutical companies - DRAP

No more gifts, tours to doctors by pharmaceutical companies - DRAP
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ISLAMABAD: Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) recently issued a new code of conduct for pharmaceutical companies and doctors.

DRAP has notified the new rules for pharmaceutical companies and doctors after getting approval from the federal government.

According to the notification, the pharmaceutical companies would not bear the travel expenses of the family and other members of doctors. Without issuing a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from their respective institution, doctors would not be given the costs of foreign travel, stated in the DRAP notification.

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Unnecessary payments, the notification further stated, for educational and scientific conferences, should not be paid to doctors, while the given amount would be calculated.

The DRAP also forbade the pharmaceutical companies from procuring capital for recreational tours and expensive residency, food and amusement activities.

The authority also ordered discontinuing all ongoing recreational activities for doctors' families and prohibited companies from providing the doctor with any gift.

Moreover, DRAP has directed the pharmaceutical companies to appoint senior officers for the implications of new rules and asked them to provide details of expenditure on doctors and medical organisations.