Table 1 Stakeholders in the conflict over ethical codes for retailers in Nepal

Department of Drug Administration (DDA)

'To regulate all functions relating drug like misuse and abuse of drugs and its raw materials, to stop false and misleading advertisement and make available safe, efficacious and quality drug to the general public by controlling the production, marketing, distribution, sale, export-import, storage and use of drugs'.

Government department

http://www.dda.gov.np/

Graduate Pharmacists' Association of Nepal (GPAN)

The 'overall development of pharmacy as a profession with the motto, 'Profession of Pharmacy for Better Health Care'.'

'Non-governmental, non-profitable, non-political and fully professional organization of pharmacists'

http://gpan.com.np/

Nepal Chemists and Druggists Association (NCDA)

'Enforcing the price uniformity of drugs within the country'

'Non-governmental organization of pharmaceutical trade professionals' (retailers and wholesalers)

http://www.dda.gov.np/ncda.php

Nepal Medical and Sales Representative Association (NMSRA)

'Establishing state-defined professional values'; 'Eliminating the anti-national practices and domination by foreign companies in labor and business'; and 'helping by all possible means the state mechanism to ensure access to quality health for all'

Trade Union for Medical Representatives

http://nmsra.org.np/client/index.php

Nepal Medical Association (NMA)

'To uplift and preserve the professional standard, values and freedom of the NMA'; 'carry out academic activities...'; and '...improve the health status of the people'.

'Non-governmental professional organisation of the Nepalese medical doctors'

http://www.nma.org.np/

Association of Pharmaceutical Producers of Nepal (APPON)

'Facilitation of Nepalese Pharmaceutical Industries to achieve standard par international & to be Globally Competitive.'

Pharmaceutical companies

http://www.appon.org/