Court seek govt’s cure to stop online medicine buying fever

Concerned over the dangers of people buying medicines online, the Bombay high court (HC) has asked the state and the Central government to file an affidavit and submit details of the steps it plans to take to stop advertisement and sale of medicines which are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and violate rules prescribed under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

The Division bench of Justice V.M. Kanade and Justice Swapana Joshi was hearing a petition filed by city-based college lecturer Mayuri Patil, who sought a stay on illegal online delivery of schedule “H” drugs by medical portals without prescription or cash memos.

In her petition, Ms Patil has stated the list of medicines that come with a warning: “To be sold by retail on the prescription of a registered medical practitioner only.” She also submitted names of websites, mainly operating from outside India and Pharmacies where such drugs are available. The whole process of drugs supply by those websites is in violation of the Drugs and Cosmetics rules, 1945 says the public interest litigation (PIL).

Earlier, the state government had filed a detailed affidavit on the steps it had taken to stop sale of medicines online and and also produced names of individuals against whom the state had initiated action.

The state government told the court that banning websites is in the hands of the Central government. The state government also informed the HC how difficult it is to catch those selling medicines and drugs online from another states. Recently, while hearing this PIL the court expressed satisfaction on the steps taken by the state government and said, “We are of the view that in order to stop this menace of sale of Schedule ‘H’ drugs and the medicines which are not approved by the FDA, the advertisement of these drugs on T.V. and other websites will have to be stopped”.