Freebies by pharma firms now taxable
The Hindu
Demand to have uniform marketing code mandatory
The Finance Bill proposal to tax freebies given to doctors by pharmaceutical firms has led to a demand to make the Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) mandatory.
K.V. Babu, functionary, Alliance of Doctors for Ethical Health Care, said that non-compliance of the code by pharma companies not only encouraged corrupt practices but also added up to the cost of drugs. Some companies spend crores of rupees through associations for sponsoring medical conferences. Huge amounts of money are used on travel, accommodation and other expenditures of the doctors who attend these lavishly arranged conferences, he said.
Senior BJP leader and former Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Saturday (November 23, 2024) said the landslide victory of the Mahayuti alliance in the Maharashtra Assembly election was historic, and that it reflected people’s mindset across the country. She added that the DMK would be unseated from power in the 2026 Assembly election in Tamil Nadu and that the BJP would be the reason for it.