Arguably, one of the factors which may make pharmaceutical sales representatives digress from ethics and professional integrity are today’s challenging market conditions in the pharmaceutical industry. What makes this market challenging? In this columnist’s view, it is none other than the imbalance between sales tactics and the need to adhere to ethical practices. Let’s take a very simple example. Some sales representatives of pharmaceutical companies sneak into cabins of doctors when hundreds of patients wait in queues impatiently. This alone is a violation of ethics. It is nonsensical to say that sales representatives should be banished from the industry, particularly when there is a free and open market. But whoever comes in should play by the rules and ethics.
