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Chemists involved in retail sale of drugs can register in the proposed national web portal to carry out online sale of drugs. This was stated by minister of state (health and family welfare) Faggan Singh Kulaste in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
Stating that certain categories of drugs such as narcotic and psychotropic drugs, tranquilizers, habit forming drugs and Schedule X drugs that are prone to being abused or misused be excluded from sale through e-pharmacies, the minister said the proposed national web portal would act as a nodal platform for transacting and monitoring online sale of drugs.
The minister said a sub-committee had been constituted by the Drugs Consultative Committee (DCC) to examine issues relating to online sale of drugs. The committee was headed by Maharashtra Food & Drug Administration chief Dr Harshdeep Kamble.
Some of the recommendations of the sub-committee, which has submitted its report to the Drugs Consultative Committee, includes, the need to evolve a mechanism to register e-pharmacies. ``There should be geographical restrictions for operation of e-pharmacies,'' said the written reply.
However, the All India Organisation of Chemists & Druggists (AIOCD) has opposed these recommendations as it doesn't address the issues of 'patient safety, patient counselling, proper utilisation of drugs to minimise medication errors, among others.
