Recently, the National Health Commission organized a symposium with 24 pharmaceutical/medical device companies, including domestic/multinational companies, state-owned/private companies, and traditional Chinese medicine/chemical medicine/medical device companies. According to the meeting arrangements circulated in the industry, the symposium conducted research and discussions on six aspects (see the following figure for details), including "supporting medical staff to participate in academic conferences of Chinese and foreign pharmaceutical companies in compliance with regulations and to receive lecture fees in compliance with regulations." At the meeting, the National Health Commission also made it clear that "support and guide the standardized development of academic exchanges and cooperation, and conduct marketing in compliance with regulations." In fact, this is not the first time that the state has expressed its support for the compliance of pharmaceutical academic conferences and marketing. In the second half of 2023, various departments launched a special rectification of unhealthy trends in the pharmaceutical field, and pharmaceutical companies and medical institutions subsequently launched self-examination and self-correction. At the same time, a number of academic conferences and forums were postponed or cancelled. Some hospitals require medical staff to stop participating in all activities of "endorsing enterprises", "standing for products" and "serving marketing".

In August last year, the National Health Commission made it clear in its reply that "standardized academic conferences and normal medical activities should be strongly supported and actively encouraged."
The National Health Commission pointed out that academic conferences in the pharmaceutical industry are important platforms for academic exchanges, experience sharing, and the promotion of medical technology progress and innovative development. What needs to be rectified are those illegal acts of fabricating false academic conference titles, illegally transferring interests, or illegally dividing academic conference sponsorship fees.

The "Notice on Further Strengthening the Standardized Management of Forum Activities" jointly issued by the Central Propaganda Department, the State Administration for Market Regulation and other 10 departments also clearly stated that legal and compliant forum activities are encouraged and supported. For forum activities with standardized organization, correct orientation, excellent results and great influence, all regions and departments should support them by strengthening publicity and promotion, providing business guidance, and giving praise and rewards.

Marketing, promotion and visits in the pharmaceutical field have always been the focus of regulatory authorities.
In early October, Shanghai emphasized in the "Key Points for Correcting Unhealthy Trends in the Field of Pharmaceutical Purchase and Sales and Medical Services in 2024" that it is necessary to take "platform lectures" and "table meetings" as entry points, adhere to the "integrated governance of wind and corruption", and thoroughly rectify the behavior of accepting disguised benefits from pharmaceutical companies.
Recently, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection has issued a series of articles, exposing many typical cases of illegal promotion and sales with gold in the pharmaceutical field.

In the "Moving Forward丨Integrating Ideological and Political Work Throughout the Case Handling" released on November 11, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection disclosed the details of Hu Moumou, director of a district disease prevention and control center in Sichuan, accepting bribes. It is reported that since Hu Moumou became the director of the district disease prevention and control center, there has been an endless stream of medical representatives visiting. Hu Moumou has received bribes from many people for a total of more than 1.5 million yuan, and was eventually expelled from the party and dismissed from public office, and was sentenced to four years and three months in prison for the crime of accepting bribes.

After the case was exposed, the local Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision and the District Health and Health Bureau held several mobilization meetings in the medical field to actively clarify problems, and organized more than 100 pharmaceutical and medical equipment distribution companies to hold collective heart-to-heart talks. So far, 97 people in the district's medical and health institutions have taken the initiative to explain the problems, and 16 people have been filed for investigation. The article "In-depth Concern | Let More People Share the Fruits of Reform and Development" released by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on November 10 pointed out that in the supply of drugs and consumables, some people used "unified prescriptions" to seek benefits for medical representatives and took the opportunity to accept bribes.

For example, Li, the former deputy director of a county health center in Hainan, was entrusted by a drug dealer to contact doctors with a high number of patients and good relationships with him, and agreed to prescribe designated drugs for kickbacks. In September this year, Li was "double-opened" and transferred to the judicial authorities; She, the former director of a district health center in Jiangsu, helped drug supplier Chen to include a variety of drugs in the procurement library by controlling the access of new drugs, and received a total of 45,000 yuan in cash from the other party, and there were other violations of discipline and law. In the end, She was "double-opened" and sentenced to four years and five months in prison and a fine of 400,000 yuan for the crime of accepting bribes and money laundering.

Since the beginning of this year, Fujian, Chongqing, Shanxi, Hubei, Henan and other places have issued compliance guidelines and other provincial documents on anti-commercial bribery in the pharmaceutical field. In mid-October, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued the "Compliance Guidelines for Pharmaceutical Enterprises to Prevent Commercial Bribery Risks (Draft for Comments)", which further clarified the commercial bribery risks in activities or links such as academic visits, receptions, and commissions, and proposed 32 "prohibitions" (pictures are attached at the end of the article).
The rectification of irregularities in the pharmaceutical sector is still in progress, and the high-pressure situation will continue at the policy level. As regulatory measures are upgraded, pharmaceutical companies' academic promotion, marketing and other business activities face stricter compliance requirements.

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