|
India needs to build a safety net around the consumers prior to the sale of medicines on internet to ensure safety, efficacy and quality of health. The country is already the third largest online market with over 167.2 million internet users, ranked only behind China and the US, said Dr BR Jagashetty, former National Adviser (Drugs Control) to MoHFW and former Karnataka Drugs Controller.
There are about 50,000 active online drug sellers worldwide, and most of them are unlawful operations. The largest unauthorised online drug sellers can generate between $1 million and $2.5 million in sales each month, as indicated in leading international reports. Hence it is necessary to stop the distribution of such unregistered and unsafe medical products offered via the internet in India, he added.
On behalf of the patients-consumers of India, Dr Jagashetty presented public comments sought by the sub-committee for online pharmacy on ‘Sale of Medicines over Internet’ stating that there are growing number of online drug sellers associated with complex criminal networks and targeting developing economies, where internet usage, technology access, and online shopping are on the rise.
The practice of such unauthorised operations of online drug sales should be curtailed. The Union government should put a stop to spurious and not-of-standard medicines/devices entering into market via the internet. The government needs to create a massive public awareness campaign amongst consumers and healthcare providers to combat unlawful online drug sellers, he pointed out.
“Though the internet is inherently global, no one country can solve the menace of unlawful online players alone. Concrete steps with global cooperation needs to be evolved by regulators, enforcement authorities, and internet commerce companies, to stop unlawful online drug sellers and prevent the risk to patient safety,” said Dr Jagashetty.
There is need to adopt new regulations for online pharmacy to protect patient safety on similar lines that of the EU Falsified Medicines Directive and US legislation on Online Pharmacy Safety Act of 2012. Therefore, from an India standpoint, it is necessary to establish more stringent penalties for internet crimes related to unsafe medicines/devices. Besides, India should ensure internet-commerce companies adopt Model Voluntary Protocols and join the Centre for Safe Internet Pharmacies.
The current reality is that with the advent of technology, consumers and patients expect convenience to access medication rather than driven by regulations. This is evident from the present practices adopted by consumers to encourage unlawful sale through telephone, mobile app and internet, even if it is not allowed as per our existing laws. We are unable to check the menace of prescription medicines sold in India over-the-counter, with exceptions in few States, stated Dr Jagashetty.
Indian Internet Pharmacies are currently practicing the model where they are dispensing medicines based on scanned or image of prescription which can be a serious threat to patient safety. Unauthenticated scanned prescriptions can lead to several risks and safety issues, which will impact the image of Indian drug regulators too, he said.
|