HC stays online sale of prescribed medicines

New Delhi, December 13

The Delhi High Court has stayed the sale of drugs and prescribed medicines by online pharmacies.

A Bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice VK Rao has passed the interim order on a plea seeking a ban on “illegal” sale of drugs and medicines online.

Advocate Nakul Mohta, appearing for the petitioner, said: “As an interim measure, the court has stopped unauthorised sale of medicines on the Internet and the government has been asked to take necessary steps forthwith.”

The court had earlier sought responses of the Centre, Delhi Government, Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation and the Pharmacy Council of India on the petition.

The court has listed the matter for further hearing on March 25 next year.

The petition filed by Zaheer Ahmed said online illegal sale of medicines would lead to a drug epidemic, drug abuse and mis-utilisation of habit-forming and addictive drugs.

It claimed that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation and an expert committee appointed by the drug consultative committee had already concluded that the online sale of medicines was in contravention of the provisions of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and the other allied laws.

Still drugs were being sold on the Internet, it said, adding some of the drugs/medicines contained narcotic and psychotropic and some could cause antibiotic resistant-bacteria, which was a threat not only to the patient but to the humanity at large.

“It is a matter of public knowledge that e-commerce websites have been caught on numerous occasions of selling fake products. Unlike consumer items, drugs are extremely potent substances and consuming wrong dose or fake medicine can have fatal consequences on the patient,” it said.

The petition said as of now there was no mechanism to control the sale of medicines on the Internet and this put the health and life of people at a high risk and affected their right to a safe and healthy life under Article 21 of the Constitution. — PTI