The court was hearing pleas seeking a ban on “illegal” sale of drugs online. It had granted six weeks to the Centre and the next date of hearing is August 28.
The DCGI held a meeting on Thursday which was attended by representatives from the chemists’ body, All India Organization of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), representatives from the Pharmacy Council of India and representatives from online pharmacy platforms including Tata 1 mg, Pharm easy, Netmed, Practo, among others.
India’s online pharmacies that currently operate in a regulatory grey area. In February, the DCGI had issued show-cause notices to about 20 such platforms accusing them of violation of the provisions of Drug and Cosmetic Act and rules. The government had proposed a draft legislation on multiple occasions, but it has yet to frame one.
In 2018 too, the health ministry had released a draft notification regulating e-pharmacies that barred the selling of medicines without registration. It banned the sale of narcotics, psychotropic drugs and tranquillisers by online pharmacies. But the rules could never be finalised. In March this year, the department-related parliamentary committee on commerce urged the ministry of health and family welfare to notify the draft e-pharmacy rules. It said it was “appalled” that the rules had not been finalised till date.
Retail chemist organisations have been protesting the sale of online medicines through e-pharmacies as they are not currently regulated. In its two-long hour deliberation on Thursday, the AIOCD pointed out that there was no provision in Drug Acts for granting licence for e-pharmacy “AIOCD strongly appealed to the government to set aside draft rules published in 2018, and initiate action against the so-called E Pharmacies,” it said in a statement.
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