Chemists & Distributors Associations endorse AIOCD call for ban on illegal online medicine sale

Srinagar, December 23: Srinagar Chemists & Distributors Association (SCDA) and Jammu Chemists & Distributors Association (JCDA) in a statement to Arising State have expressed concern over the unscrupulous elements selling online ‘fake’ medicines and risking the lives of patients. These associations have appealed people in general and patients in particular that they should prefer buying medicines from trusted pharmacy or suppliers.
“It is a matter of grave concern that some online platform sell medicines without valid prescriptions, fueling self-medication, drug abuse, and antimicrobial resistance. By virtue of the Section 26B of the Drugs Act in March 2020, the central government’s notification G.S.R. 220 (E), dated 26th March 2020 permitted doorstep delivery of medicines under specific conditions. The regulation was meant to support licensed chemists during emergencies, not facilitate unregulated sales by online companies,” SCDA & JCDA said in their statements.
Both the associations have called for the withdrawal of the notification, citing the end of the pandemic emergency, and demanded strict enforcement of prescription requirements and safety protocols. “The government should ban illegal online medicine sales to curb unregulated drug distribution,” reads the statement of the associations.
Remarkably, the matter has already been taken up by the All-India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), representing over 12.40 lakh chemists and distributors nationwide, with Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. the leaders wrote, “We trust that Notification G.S.R. 220 (E), dated 26th March 2020, will be withdrawn in accordance with the constitutional mandate outlined in Article 47, thereby preventing the need for any future unrest or agitation from our dedicated members,” reads the letter of (AIOCD) to the health secretary.