Supreme Court orders Centre to form panel to regulate unethical pharma marketing

Supreme Court of India. File | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

The Supreme Court on Thursday (October 8, 2026) directed the Union government to constitute an expert committee to examine whether pharmaceutical companies should be brought under a legally enforceable framework to curb unethical marketing practices.

A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta directed the Centre to constitute the committee in line with its earlier directions and observations.

“We have directed the Union of India to constitute the committee and give its recommendations in terms of our previous directives and observations. The matter will be placed before the Court on January 29, 2027, to show compliance with the orders of the Court,” Justice Mehta said, reading out the operative part of the order in open court.

The top court issued the directions while hearing a petition filed by the Federation of Medical and Sales Representatives’ Associations of India (FMRAI), seeking a statutory mechanism to regulate pharmaceutical marketing and check alleged unethical practices involving medical professionals.

The petition had raised concerns over pharmaceutical companies allegedly offering doctors expensive gifts, overseas trips, and other incentives, besides resorting to aggressive promotional practices, to encourage the prescription of particular drugs.