The Delhi High Court has ordered a ban on the online sale of medicines by e-pharmaceuticals across India. The decision was passed after a PIL was filed by a Delhi-based dermatologist who objected to the large-scale sale of medicines on the internet. According to the PIL, the selling of the drug by e-pharmaceuticals have been happening without proper regulation. No Coercive Action Against Sale of Available Banned FDC Drugs: Delhi High Court.

The Delhi High Court’s order comes as a massive blow to the online pharmaceutical industries, selling a variety of medicines online, often without prescriptions. Despite many websites stating that they ask for a written prescription before selling drugs to online buyers, their claims have been widely disputed. There are allegations that many of these online drug stores don’t have the required licenses to sell medicines. Online Sale of Medicine: Have No Authority to Ban or Regulate E-Pharmacy, Tamil Nadu Govt Tells Madras High Court.

The order is in accordance with the Cosmetic Act of 1940 and the Pharmacy Act of 1948, which does not permit the sale of medicines online. According to Times Now, the petitioner has highlighted that the Drug Controller General of India in 2015 had clearly directed the state drug controllers to protect the interest of public health by restraining drug sale online. But lakhs of drugs are being sold online despite the rules.

The problem of e-pharmaceuticals’ unregulated sale of drugs online has been a long-standing issue. The Chemist and Drugs Association of Maharashtra had called for a protest march in July at Mumbai’s FDA office against the sale of medicines online. The All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) had also gone on a nationwide strike on September 28, terming the online sale of medicines and e-pharmacy as illegal and unsafe.

According to Express Pharma, there are more than 280 online pharmaceuticals in India. The e-pharma industry is somewhere around Rs 1000 crore, out of the Rs 125,000 crore market of the total Indian domestic pharma.

In September, the Union Health Ministry introduced draft rules on the sale of drugs by e-pharmaceuticals, to regulate the sale of medicines online and to provide easy access to genuine drugs. The order could be subjected to further appeal by the e-pharmaceuticals affected by the ban.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 13, 2018 12:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).