The Medical Council of India has issued new guidelines for medical practitioners by amending its “Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics” rules and, as a result, docs will not be allowed to accept any gifts or attend seminars or events financed by drugmakers (look here and scroll down).

Under the new rules, a doctor can conduct or participate in research funded by drug and other health care companies, but must obtain permission from authorities to carry out particular projects. And docs must also ensure research projects get clearance from an institutional ethics body. Public endorsements of specific drugs are also a no-no.

“Some pharmaceutical companies have been promoting corruption for undue benefits, bringing in bad reputation for other pharmaceutical companies as well as medical professionals,” S. S.Agarwal, national vp of the Indian Medical Association, tells The Times of India. “The amendments will pave the way to have a control over such unethical practices. Even as the immediate impact of the amendment cannot be judged, inclusion of the issue in ethics regulation will help control such activities.”

But one industry person, who wasn’t named, tells the paper that, “in absence of any strict penalties against such violations, the norms will once again be limited to voluntary efforts. With direct funding coming under scanning, the companies will now look for alternative routes to provide such benefits to their favored doctors.”

Photo thx to antkriz Flickr Common Creative