In a big jolt to E-pharmacies, the Centre is mulling to shut them over misuse of data. Times Now sources revealed that the Group of Ministers (GoM) also did not advocate for digital pharmacies. The fresh development comes days after the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) – the country’s drug regulator sent show-cause notices to 20-odd e-pharmacies including Tata 1mg, Amazon, Flipkart, NetMeds, MediBuddy, Practo, Frankross, Apollo, among others. In its notice, the agency asserted that the sale or stock or exhibit or offer for sale or distribution of drugs through online, internet or other electronic platforms “without a licence have a potential impact on quality of drugs and pose risk to public health”.
Meanwhile, speaking to Times Now, Dr Sanjeev Bagai, an Indian paediatrician and nephrologist known for his proficiency in pediatric nephrology said, “These e-pharmacies are working in an irregulated manner. It can come back in a few years but in a consolidated manner & plugging discrepancies of data , prescription etc. any.”
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