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The Delhi High Court has ordered a ban on the sale of online medicines by E-pharmacies across the country. A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and and Justice V K Rao has also ordered central and delhi governments to implement the order.

Main concerns:

• ·       Medicines worth Lakhs was being sold online every day without much regulation and posing a huge risk to patients as well as doctors.
  
• ·       Online sale of medicines is not permitted under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Pharmacy Act, 1948.
  
• ·       The Drug Controller General of India in 2015 had clearly directed all state drug controllers to protect the interest of public health by restraining such sale online.
  
• ·       Drugs are different from common items; and their misuse and abuse can have serious consequences for public health.
  
• ·       Internet is used by a large number of children, minors and also uneducated people in rural areas. They can become victims of wrong medication.
  
• ·       Online pharmacies are working without drug licenses and are also indulged in selling psychotropic substances.
  

Government’s stand:

The Union Health Ministry had come out with draft rules on sale of drugs by E-pharmacies in September 2018. The objective of these rules was to regulate the sale of medicines across India. The government did not ban the sale of drugs online because such sale also provides the patients in remote areas access to genuine drugs from authentic portals. The draft rules had mandated that no person will distribute or sell, stock, exhibit or offer for sale of drugs through e-pharmacy portal unless registered.