BEIJING: Chinese authorities have clarified that the role of pharmaceutical representatives is to provide physicians with product information through academic exchanges and that they are strictly prohibited from offering commercial bribes, according to a regulation released recently by the National Medical Products Administration and six other government departments.
The regulation on the management of pharmaceutical representatives aims to crack down on illicit practices such as unauthorized drug sales and bribery, which severely disrupt fair market competition and undermine the healthy development of the pharmaceutical industry, the administration said.
Since the launch of a registration platform in late 2020, more than 2,000 drugmakers, or drug marketing authorization holders, have registered about 116,000 pharmaceutical representatives in China.
Under the new regulation, which will take effect on Aug 1,2026, pharmaceutical representatives are responsible for academic promotion of drugs rather than sales activities.
They must hold at least an associate degree in medicine, pharmacy or a related field, possess knowledge of clinical pharmacology and specify a clearly defined area of operation when registering.
The regulation prohibits pharmaceutical representatives from engaging in sales-related activities such as collecting payments or handling purchase and sales invoices. They are also barred from offering donations, subsidies or sponsorships to medical institutions based on drug sales volume, or providing kickbacks and other financial benefits to medical personnel, their spouses or relatives.
In addition, representatives are prohibited from misleading doctors about drug use, exaggerating or misrepresenting therapeutic effects, concealing known adverse reaction information, or illegally collecting, using or disseminating patient data or internal information from medical institutions.
Pharmaceutical companies are forbidden from employing or authorizing representatives found to have engaged in commercial bribery.
Medical institutions are also prohibited from communicating with unregistered representatives or accepting benefits from them in any form. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
