Allow medical devices sector to work with doctors: CII

Pitching for allowing medical devices industry to engage doctors, industry body CII today said preventing medical practitioners to undergo training about latest technologies may be detrimental.
Currently, under the voluntary the Universal Code for Pharmaceutical marketing Practices (UCPMP) industry is not allowed to engage medical practitioners for continued medical education on latest technologies, CII said in a statement.
"Medical Device Industry is an innovation driven industry and needs to work with medical practitioners as well as paramedical professional in close proximity," the industry chamber said.
Therefore, provision of current UCPMP not allowing industry to engage medical practitioner for continued medical education on latest technologies may be detrimental to the medical device industry, it added.

CII's comments came in wake of a meeting organised by Department of Pharmaceuticals under the chairmanship of Chemicals & Fertilisers Minister Anant Kumar last week to discuss the Universal Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP).
"Medical devices have a short product life cycle (18 to 24 months) and have frequently upgraded versions. Every new product which comes into market requires physicians to undergo sufficient trainings. The proposed code shouldn't constraint industry's ability to provide no-frills training to Medical Practitioners," Chairman of CII-Medical Technology Division (MTD) Himanshu Baid said.

While welcoming the UCPMP code, the CII representatives said: "We recommend that the code should be appropriate for medical device companies and industry practices, which are significantly different from pharma industry."

Therefore, CII-MTD recommends a distinct marketing practices code for medical device sector which supports training, education and awareness programmes that improve patient outcome.
CII-MTD would be pleased to work with Department of Pharmaceuticals in developing an appropriate 'Universal Code for Medical Device Marketing Practices (UCMMP)', Baid said.