Since the inception of e-pharmacies in India, customer satisfaction and demands have been increased in the sector. As per the Indian Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), India contributes 20% to generic global exports.
Considering such developments in the nation, the government and judiciary are making strong efforts to regulate the buying and selling of online medicines India. Let’s have a look at some of these regulations!
Here we go!

Draft Rules
The Union Health Ministry provided draft guidelines for the sale of online medicines in India by e-pharma stores. They are as follows:
 Registration Rules:
• E-pharmacies must register to CLA (Central Licensing Authority) by filling up Form 18AA along with the fee of Rs. 50,000.
• This registration is mandatory to carry out the selling, stocking, or distributing process of online medicines in India.
• The registration will be valid for 3 years from the date of assigning.
• In case it is going to be expired soon, the registered e-pharmacy needs to apply for the renewal before the expiry date.
 Verification Rules:
• It is mandatory for the registered pharmacist to verify the patient’s details and medical practitioner. Only then he/she can dispense the drugs according to the instructions of the medical practitioner.
• The registered online pharmacist has to maintain drugs and patients' details on the e-pharmacy portal.
 Regulatory Rules:
• Each e-pharmacy in India should be DCGI (Drugs Control General of India) approved. Under the Drugs and Cosmetic Rules 1945 and Information Technology Act 2000, the DCGI will regulate the sales of online medicines in India.
• The e-pharma stores in every state need to have one license to operate in any state so that they can sell drugs all over the nation.
• The e-pharma portal is mandated to follow the provisions of the Drug and Cosmetic Act, 1940, failing to which could lead to cancellation or suspension of the platform.

No Sales Of Certain Medicines: Drugs that come under the narcotics and psychotropic class must not be sold by a registered e-pharmacy portal under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Act, 1985.

Strict Maintenance Rules: Details of the e-pharma store, partners, official logo, return policies, terms, and conditions, etc. must be available on the e-pharmacy portal registration Form 21AA.

Confidentiality: All e-pharma stores must keep their customer’s information private. In the case of public health projects and researches, it is the duty of the e-pharma store to provide confidential details to the State or Central Government.

No Advertisements: In India, online pharmacies are forbidden to place their advertisements on any media platform, such as digital media, social media, print media, TV, etc.

Having known these regulations, we can say that the Indian government is following a positive approach in regulating the sales of online medicine in India.
Share your opinions regarding this in the comment section.
Stay safe and stay healthy!