The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prof. SP Baghel said on Tuesday that Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) has issued showcause notices to various firms engaged in online sale of drugs in February this year. The firms have mostly responded by stating that they are only providing an online platform for facilitating the sale of pharmaceutical products to customers and the platform operates solely as intermediary, connecting the users and the licensed pharmacies.
To regulate the online sale of medicines comprehensively, the government had published draft rules vide G.S.R. 817 (E) dated 28th August 2018 for amendment to the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 for incorporating provisions relating to regulation of sale and distribution of drugs through e-pharmacy.
The draft rules contain provisions for registration of e-pharmacy, their periodic inspection, procedure for distribution or sale of drugs through e-pharmacy, prohibition of advertisement of drugs through e-pharmacy, complaint redressal mechanism, monitoring of e-pharmacy, etc.
