Drugs Controller General cracks the whip on online sale of drugs

States asked to keep a vigil on violation of Drug and Cosmetic Act and Rules by Drug Controller General of India

The Drugs Controller General of India has directed all state governments to take action against unauthorised sale of medicines on websites.

This comes in the wake of an ongoing public interest suit in the Bombay High Court against their sale online. In October, the court had directed the Maharashtra government to check online sale of drugs.

In a letter dated December 30, Joint Drugs Controller S Eswara Reddy instructed drug controllers in all states to keep a strict vigil on online sale of medicines and take action against those indulging in online sale of medicines in violation of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and rules. Under these rules, it is mandatory for retailers and wholesalers to take a licence to sell drugs. Chemists across the country held a day’s strike in October to protest against online pharmacies which do not have necessary permission to sell medicines. The other issue of concern was the impact on public health due to the online sale.

Following the complaints, a sub-committee was constituted under Maharashtra Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Harshdeep Kamble to examine the issue. The committee decided to invite experts from the fields of information technology, the Medical Council of India and central security agencies and seek their views on the issue.

“The concerns raised in the representations, particularly those relating to violation of Drugs and Cosmetics Act and rules, safety and efficacy of medicines made available through online sales cannot be ignored till the report of the sub-committee becomes available,” Reddy said in his letter.

“We have already circulated the instructions to all our officers and asked them to keep a vigil on websites. We are carrying out investigations and will issue notices to who are found to be violating rules,” Kamble stated.

In May, the Maharashtra FDA registered a case against Snapdeal for online sale of medicines. Similar notices were served to Flipkart, Amazon and a few other websites. Following the action, some of the websites decided to discontinue with the sale of medicines.