How Code of Ethics Influences the Ethical Behavior of Medical Representatives’ in the Pharmaceutical Industry?

Medical representatives bear the blunt of the significant pressure from the peers and managers to accomplish their market targets which call for an aggressive promotion. This inevitably leads to unethical practices by medical representatives in the sales field. Study of ethic codes influence on ethical behavior of medical representatives in the profession is an under-portrayed component which deserves further perusal. The purpose of the study is to find out the existence of ethic codes and its influence on ethical behavior of medical representatives in the promotion of pharmaceutical products. It is categorized as a cross-sectional and correlational study. Results conclude that code of ethics exists in multinational companies. Ethical behavior of multinational pharmaceutical company medical representatives has significant difference compare to domestic company medical representatives. Chi-square test shows that there is a strong association between code of ethics and training on ethics. Multinational pharmaceutical companies are recommended to follow the strict guidelines (followed in developed countries) and not take the advantage of poor regulation, callous competition and colossal corruption system in relation to promotion of pharmaceutical products to doctors and direct to consumers that exists in India.