Pharmaceutical Promotion, Quality and Governance

Abstract

This chapter focuses on how the pharmaceutical industry in Bangladesh is advancing rapidly in terms of production and supply of medicine. The marketing strategy of the companies is very competitive in terms of giving gifts to doctors and generating prescriptions. This leads to the examination of such questions as: Who is it that bears the cost of such institutionalized practice? How do medical representatives (MRs) work as key players in the entire process, as well as in becoming part of capitalist exploitation? MRs play a key role in product movement in the pharmaceutical market. However, they may be considered as both agents and victims of structural violence. The professional difficulties that they experience regularly are overlooked by the majority of companies. In this case, I explore the questions: What are the reasons for this behaviour by the companies? Moreover, some pharmaceutical companies do not adhere to the regulations in regard to bioethics and drug ordinance and produce the substandard medicine that is sold mainly in the rural areas of the country. Against the backdrop, this chapter aims to explore the marketing and sales strategies of companies and the way in which a commercial network of diverse actors influences the patterns of distribution to, prescriptions for, and consumption by health seekers.