Sale of painkillers, psychotropic drugs regulated by states; draft norms issued to govern e-pharmacies: Govt
New Delhi, August 9: The sale and distribution of painkillers and psychotropic drugs are regulated by state licensing authorities (SLAs) under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and the accompanying rules, the government said on Friday. SLAs, appointed by state governments, are empowered to monitor compliance and take action in cases of violations under the Act and the Drugs Rules, 1945. The details were shared in Lok Sabha by Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Anupriya Patel in a written reply on Friday.
To comprehensively govern online sale of medicines, the government has issued draft amendments to the Drugs Rules, 1945 – published on August 28, 2018 – proposing a regulatory framework for e-pharmacies. The draft rules envisage mandatory registration of e-pharmacies, periodic inspections, defined procedures for online sale and distribution, a prohibition on advertising drugs through e-pharmacy platforms, and a complaint-redress and monitoring mechanism, she added.
