Rs 2 crore Paris-Monaco trip funded by a pharma company for 30 doctors sparks RTI probe
The details emerged through an RTI application filed by Dr Babu KV, an ophthalmologist who has been tracking the case
- Jun 8, 2026,
- Updated Jun 8, 2026 3:50 PM IST
Thirty doctors across nine states were found guilty of accepting a fully funded trip to Paris and Monaco worth Rs 2 crore, bankrolled by pharmaceutical company AbbVie. Nearly a year after the findings were escalated, most of the states where these doctors practise have yet to submit an action taken report, according to a Times of India report.
The details emerged through an RTI application filed by Dr Babu KV, an ophthalmologist who has been tracking the case.
How the case began
In May 2024, the Department of Pharmaceuticals received a complaint against AbbVie. A special committee was formed to audit the company's conduct. It concluded that AbbVie had violated the Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices. A second committee identified the doctors involved.
The Department of Pharmaceuticals forwarded 27 of the 30 names to the National Medical Commission in September 2025; three names were dropped with no explanation offered, the TOI report stated. Of the 27 referred, 11 were from Maharashtra, three each from Gujarat and Telangana, two each from Punjab, Karnataka, West Bengal, and Delhi, and one each from Assam and Kerala.
States told to act, most haven't
On December 15, 2025, the NMC sent the names to the respective state medical councils, directing them to hold an enquiry and "award such punishment as deemed necessary." By May 26, 2026, more than five months later, six of the nine councils had still not submitted any response.
The NMC's ethics and medical registration board sent a formal reminder to the state councils of Assam, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, and West Bengal, noting that the action taken report was still awaited and requesting them "to complete the process expeditiously in a time-bound manner," as per TOI.
A deadline that may force NMC's hand
Under the MCI Act, if a complaint has not been decided by a state medical council within six months, the NMC has the option of referring it to its own ethics committee. By June 15, it will be six months since the state councils received the complaint, and nine months since the NMC first received the names from the Department of Pharmaceuticals.
Dr Babu KV noted that while AbbVie's name was eventually disclosed, both the Department of Pharmaceuticals and the NMC have refused to reveal the names of the doctors found guilty by the two committees, a position he has challenged through his RTI application.
Thirty doctors across nine states were found guilty of accepting a fully funded trip to Paris and Monaco worth Rs 2 crore, bankrolled by pharmaceutical company AbbVie. Nearly a year after the findings were escalated, most of the states where these doctors practise have yet to submit an action taken report, according to a Times of India report.
The details emerged through an RTI application filed by Dr Babu KV, an ophthalmologist who has been tracking the case.
How the case began
In May 2024, the Department of Pharmaceuticals received a complaint against AbbVie. A special committee was formed to audit the company's conduct. It concluded that AbbVie had violated the Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices. A second committee identified the doctors involved.
The Department of Pharmaceuticals forwarded 27 of the 30 names to the National Medical Commission in September 2025; three names were dropped with no explanation offered, the TOI report stated. Of the 27 referred, 11 were from Maharashtra, three each from Gujarat and Telangana, two each from Punjab, Karnataka, West Bengal, and Delhi, and one each from Assam and Kerala.
States told to act, most haven't
On December 15, 2025, the NMC sent the names to the respective state medical councils, directing them to hold an enquiry and "award such punishment as deemed necessary." By May 26, 2026, more than five months later, six of the nine councils had still not submitted any response.
The NMC's ethics and medical registration board sent a formal reminder to the state councils of Assam, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, and West Bengal, noting that the action taken report was still awaited and requesting them "to complete the process expeditiously in a time-bound manner," as per TOI.
A deadline that may force NMC's hand
Under the MCI Act, if a complaint has not been decided by a state medical council within six months, the NMC has the option of referring it to its own ethics committee. By June 15, it will be six months since the state councils received the complaint, and nine months since the NMC first received the names from the Department of Pharmaceuticals.
Dr Babu KV noted that while AbbVie's name was eventually disclosed, both the Department of Pharmaceuticals and the NMC have refused to reveal the names of the doctors found guilty by the two committees, a position he has challenged through his RTI application.