ONLINE SALE OF DRUGS

The Drugs Consultative Committee (DCC) constituted under Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 to advise the government, has constituted a 7-Member Sub-Committee to examine the issue of sale of drugs on the internet,while taking care of the risks and concerns related to such sales.

Regulation of e-pharmacies in India:

 The sale and distribution of drugs in the country is regulated as per the provisions under the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940 and the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 made there under.

 As per said Rules, Drugs specified in Schedule H, H1 or Schedule X can’t be sold except on and in accordance with the prescription of a Registered Medical Practitioner.

 The Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, does not have any provision for online sale of drugs.

 Currently there are three models of online pharmacy that exist in India—organised, unorganised and illegal.

 In the organized sector, technology is used to either connect local licensed pharmacists to the end user or an off-line pharmacist takes orders over the internet. Prescriptions are checked in the organised sector while the unorganised sector does away with this requirement.

Benefits of online sale

 The annual Indian pharmaceutical market is pegged at around Rs. 79,000 crores, growing at around 20%.

If the government decides to allow online sale of drugs, it is likely to give a major boost to sales of the sector while also making medicines accessible to remote areas

 Access to drugs for the disabled or otherwise homebound, for whom a trip to the pharmacy can be

difficult.

 The convenience of shopping 24 hours a day. A complete selection of pharmaceutical products.

 Privacy for those who don’t want to discuss their medical needs in a public place.

Concerns regarding online sale

 The Internet also creates a new marketplace for illegal activity such as the sale of unapproved new

drugs, prescription drugs dispensed without a valid prescription, or products marketed with fraudulent health claims.

 The speed, ease, and anonymity of ordering products on the Internet can attract unscrupulous sellers.

Individuals not licensed to sell prescription drugs can easily create websites that appear to represent

legitimate pharmacies.

 There are concerns that online sale would threaten the interests of small retailers and disturb the

existing supply chain system.

 There is a concern that children today are capable of using the Internet and the concept of prescription drugs against a photocopy of a prescription uploaded online to get a medicine can create havoc.

 Doctors have raised concerns saying that doctors, patients and pharmacists have a relationship based on trust. If a website were to display cheaper variations to the medicine prescribed by a doctor, without offering an explanation, this relationship suffers.

 Self-medication is a rampant practice in India, and online sale of drugs may further encourage it.