NEW DELHI: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has written to Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya seeking withdrawal of National Medical Commission (NMC) regulations on mandatory prescription of generic drugs till there is quality assurance of all medicines.The doctors' body also expressed concern over the regulations which bar doctors from attending conferences sponsored by pharma companies saying such a prohibition warrants reconsideration.

It demanded associations and organisations should be exempted from the purview of NMC regulations.Members of the IMA and Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance had on Monday met Mandaviya and expressed their concerns over the NMC regulations.

The NMC put forward its rationale for bringing in the new guidelines in the meeting, sources said.The IMA, in its letter to the health minister, said less than 1% of the generic drugs manufactured in India are tested for quality.

According to the NMC regulations, "Registered medical practitioners and their families must not receive any gifts, travel facilities, hospitality, cash or monetary grants...

access to entertainment or recreation from pharmaceutical companies or their representatives, commercial healthcare establishments, medical device companies, or corporate hospitals under any pretext." Also, registered medical practitioners should not be involved in any third-party educational activity like seminar, workshop, symposia and conference, which involves direct or indirect sponsorships from pharmaceutical companies or the allied health sector, the regulations stated.The IMA requested the government to allow professional associations to use pharma funding for CMEs and educational/research activities in a transparent and bona fide manner.