Online sale of prescription medicines illegal: panel

Authorities asked to crack down on guilty firms

Online sale of prescription medicines is illegal, a government-appointed technical panel has recommended even as the trend picks up in the cities and towns.

For online sale of non-prescription drugs, shipping the medicine from an unlicensed premise is illegal and drug regulatory authorities have been instructed to crack down on the guilty firms.

Chaired by the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration commissioner Harshdeep Kamble, the panel was set up in July 2015 after Maharashtra drug regulatory authority raided the business premises of Snapdeal in Mumbai and seized “prescription only” brands like Ascoril of Glenmark (containing prescription-only ingredients like terbutaline or codeine) and Vigora of German Remedies (sildenafil) sensing violation of laws.

“We have received the report from the (Kamble) committee last Friday. It examined 86 representations and had six meetings. Based on the panel's recommendations, we will submit our recommendations to the health ministry next week,” G N Singh, Drugs Controller General of India said on Friday.

Singh did not disclose the recommendations of the panel, but pointed out that several laws and rules, including the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Pharmacy Act 1948, needed to be changed before e-pharmacies were ushered in.

“They have a future, but in a regulated way. At the moment, selling prescription drugs online is illegal and also if they are using an unauthorised premise, it’s illegal,” Singh said. Almost six months ago, the health ministry asked the states to crack down on the erring companies.

In July a survey by the Consumer Online Foundation pointed out people’s increasing preference for Internet purchase of their medicines, particularly for senior citizens.

Carried out on 4,600 individuals, the survey found that almost 61% of the respondents resorted to purchase of drugs over the Internet, while given a choice 90% of them are inclined to do the same.

“At present, pharmaceutical companies can sell drugs only to licensed dealers, registered doctors and hospitals. Retailers are licensed only if they have adequately equipped premises for storage of temperature-sensitive medicines and have qualified on-site pharmacists to dispense drugs against prescriptions and advise patients about the right dosing schedule,” said C M Gulhati, a former consultant to the World Health Organisation.