The Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers Association (PReMA) has urged 3,200 pharmaceutical company sales representatives to stop pressuring doctors at state hospitals into ordering their products by offering benefits and gifts.
The move is part of PReMa's campaign to promote sales ethics among the 32 drug companies on PreMa's membership list - and to control the behaviour of their representatives.
PReMA's chief executive officer, Dr Kitima Yuthavong, said competition was high among companies in the Bt100-billion pharmaceutical market, and many push their representatives for ever higher sales targets.
Some approach state hospital doctors to persuade them to buy their products by offering special benefits and gifts; others visit doctors while they are checking their patients.
The more ethical among them allow doctors to make their own decisions about ordering products, based on the scientific information available.
In a bid to control over-zealous drug company sales representatives, PReMa has issued a code of conduct for the past 40 years. It is now up to version No 8.
Under this code, PreMA's members are prohibited from offering special benefits to doctors or cajoling them into asking hospitals to buy their products.
However, they can still offer gifts and gimmicks, but only under Bt 500, and Bt3,000 to support a doctor's education. The rules also call for good manners while approaching doctors.
Sales representatives must provide scientific information and research about drug products so doctors can make the right decisions, based on the patient's welfare, before asking a hospital to place orders with drug companies.
"They should wear company uniforms when they visit doctors and provide them with scientific details about their product, instead of giving them presents," she said.
Representatives should be pharmacy or medical technology graduates as they need to provide scientific information to doctors.
At present, the 32 company members of PreMA have 3,200 sales representatives, 80 per cent of whom have passed PreMA's ethics certification examination.
Companies that permit sales reps to offer bribes to doctors would face a fine of Bt100,000 for the first offence and a Bt200,000 fine for a second.
Kitima said the association has sent letters to hospitals across the country to keep a close watch on drug company sales reps. If they find any malpractice, they should inform the association immediately.