Unethical Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices in Pakistan

Unethical marketing practices have become an essential part of the pharmaceutical industry in Pakistan. However, the phenomenon of the unethical drug practices is common worldwide but its severity is deep rooted in developing countries. Unethical drug practices have two dimensions. One is drug related, and other is drug promotion related. Pharmaceutical industry spends a substantial portion of its budget on market research but do not carry out the research on unethical drug promotion practices. One of the reasons is that the industry itself is indulged in this practice therefore it does not find any need to carry out the research on this issue. Lack of research on the subject does not mean that unethical drug promotion practices do not exist. Unethical pharmaceutical marketing practices have become an acceptable norm of the pharmaceutical diligence, and it is also well supported by more or less all the pharmaceutical groups with the cooperation of government hospitals, private hospitals, doctors and health allied organizations including pharmacies on patients' interests.