No more online medicine in India !

After appeals from several Chemists & Druggists Associations High Court of Delhi and Madras have issued a ban of unlicensed online medicine sale till central government finalize regulations for it. The Union government sought a six month extension from the Bombay High Court to publish the final rules to regulate sale of medicines online. Earlier, it had said that by January 31, the rule would be finalized and published.

• What's the story ? 

With a whopping customer base on one hand , there has been increasing concerns regarding the genuineness of the e pharmacy sites on the other . While using an online portal for ordering prescribed drugs can prove cost efficient , it can pose threats in other ways . The Delhi High Court in December 18 issued an order restricting the sell of prescription drugs by online websites unless regulations  are framed to govern such entities . The Madras High Court had similar views regarding the same , imposing a ban on the sites and faulted out the central government for not giving out the final rules for the online sale of drugs .

The Drugs and Cosmetic Rules ,1945 was formulated under The Drugs and Cosmetic Act ,1940 for regulating the import, manufacture, distribution and sale of drugs and cosmetics in India . Since this was before the advent of internet , no particular rules were led out for online sale of drugs . The online sites are now directed to have a pharmacy license that caters to the guidelines in the Act and the Rules . However with over 250-300 online drug selling sites , the government has felt the need for giving out new rules for this business . An amendment had been published that was subject to public opinion before the government would finalize on its decision . Buying medicines from unlicensed dealers can lead to usage of expired , substandard drugs . The government has issued a ban on sale of schedule X drugs and narcotics online . There should be a valid prescription of a registered practitioner to avail these online facilities . This is because ,  drugs are potent chemical substances which carry the potential to cause harm to the humanity at large .

• What's next ? 

Many companies like Netmeds,Pharmeasy have come forward to challenge this decision stating no regulations were violated . The founder of Netmeds , Mr. Pradeep Dadha has stated the the company operates under a proper license and does not sell medicines without a prescription from a registered practitioner . It will be interesting to see the various opinions  and the actions taken when the final amendment comes out . Being on the consumer side do you think online medicine should be legal in India let us know in the comment section below.