No final call yet; govt seeks advice from experts on online sale of drugs
NEW DELHI, APRIL 2: The government hasn’t yet taken a final call on banning the online sale of drugs and medicines, according to a source. The Centre is seeking advice from experts to take a final decision on the online sale of drugs and medicines – whether to ban, highly regulate or allow sale of these items, a top government official told this newspaper.
This newspaper was the first to report that the health ministry had sent show cause notices to nearly 31 pharmaceutical companies including Tata1mg, Amazon, Flipkart, Apollo Pharmacy, and Practo, among others, involved in the online sale of drugs and medicines without a licence under the drugs and cosmetics act & rules.
According to the source, the ministry has so far received 16 responses, out of which most companies have sought more time to submit their reply.
About six companies including Amazon said they are only providing online platforms for the sale of drugs and medicines. “Because of online platforms, many people are getting addicted as narcotic drugs are easily available there. It is very dangerous, especially for the youth. Besides this, people can order medicines through the same prescription from different platforms,” the official said.
He further said because of the influx of several online platforms, people are ordering medicines without consulting doctors. As a result, the viability of retail stores is fading. “As there is no control over the distribution of medicines, any medicine is easily available. Even school-going children can buy these via online portals. Putting regulation around is a need of the hour,” the official added.
The government is also concerned about sale of spurious drugs and medicines via online portals and apps. However, industry insiders don’t agree with the government on this as they say inferior quality drugs and medicines are also available in brick-and-mortar stores.
As per them, the online sector played a critical role during the Covid pandemic, so the government should consider that too before taking action. Also, some foreign investors have put in huge sums in some e-pharmacies, so it just doesn’t make any sense to frame such a policy.
-TNIE
