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After a careful observation of the present situation of the drug market in India, especially in the context of emergence of large-scale counterfeit of all major brands, the president of the Tamil Nadu based drug marketing company, ‘Indian Pharmaceutical Association of Marketers and Manufacturers (PAMM)’, A Kannan has said the members of the association are marketing only products manufactured in WHO GMP complied companies.
All the marketers are fully complying with all drug rules and they concentrate only in south Indian markets. Besides, no member of the PAMM promotes his brands either in West Bengal or in any other north Indian states. We know that we are also liable for any drug quality lapse of the products we promote, he said.
“All marketing companies whether they are from south India or from north India want to market only quality products, nobody will do business with substandard or fake medicines, but there are some malefactors, such people are everywhere and they need to be punished.”, he opined.
Kannan said each member-company of the association is operating in a transparent manner, and on one is engaged in dirty business in Tamil Nadu. Even if there is somebody who does unethical business activities, they will not associate with the team of marketers or with their association. Such people will work clandestinely and spoil the image of the total marketers and the integrity of the business. As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, all the marketers in the pharma sector are genuine and law-abiding people, he claimed.
Talking about the pharma marketing business, the PAMM president said the association is strictly educating its members to adhere to all drug laws, industry standards and follow guidelines issued by the regulatory agencies time and again. The association wants the members to focus on safety and protection of the consumers along with maintaining the brand integrity. He said the marketers cannot be separated from the manufacturers because all the manufacturers are also marketers.
Explaining about the method of their operations, the pharma marketer said before reaching an agreement with a manufacturing company, each marketer will ensure all the credentials of the company by visiting their facilities and verifying their necessary certifications and licences. They will collect the copies of their manufacturing licences, approved product endorsement list and price list in Form V. Once the marketing company agrees with the manufacturer for a brand, the marketer will seek the laboratory reports of each batch of the product. The marketer will keep these documents in his office along with the purchase in-voice. The marketing companies reach agreement with the manufacturers only for products approved by the drug controller general of India (DCGI). The members of the PAMM are getting their products manufactured only in recognised companies in Tamil Nadu, who are all following hundred percent norms of the drug act.
As regards the strategy of their marketing of pharmaceuticals, Kanna said they market through registered distributors and through doctors’ clinics. Most of the PAMM members confine the promotion work of their brands in south Indian states only.
About the recent detection of counterfeit and substandard medicines in West Bengal, Kannan said no marketing company from Tamil Nadu is promoting medicines either to West Bengal in the east or to any other state in north India. The Tamil Nadu based marketers promote their brands in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Karnataka and Kerala, and so far, there is no complaint against any product of any company from Tamil Nadu. No drug regulator in these states has found or detected any substandard product marketed by Tamil Nadu based company. All the members of PAMM are operating by fully complying with the drug rules.
When asked about the brands of the marketing companies, he said each marketer has a minimum of 30 to 50 brands, and altogether the PAMM members promote over 600 brands in south India.
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