Health Secretary seeks ban on websites selling habit-forming drugs

Health Secretary Supriya Sahu has written to the Drugs Controller General of India urging him to expedite the formulation of regulations governing the online sale of pharmaceuticals and sought his intervention to ban websites that sell habit-forming drugs in violation of existing laws.

Presently, States were not empowered to block such websites under current provisions of law, she observed.

In a letter to Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, Drugs Controller General of India, the Health Secretary raised the availability of certain habit-forming drugs, particularly tapentadol, on e-commerce platforms. The Government of Tamil Nadu, she said, has been proactive in combating drug abuse through stringent measures including law enforcement and involving all stakeholders including educational institutions. Despite these efforts, there are significant challenges with the online sale of certain drugs.

The Tamil Nadu Police and the Drugs Control Department have reported a troubling trend of offenders procuring habit-forming drugs through online platforms. “These platforms operate without geographical restrictions, complicating our investigations due to the minimal or misleading information available about sellers. This situation undermines our ongoing initiatives aimed at preventing drug abuse among students and the general public,” Ms. Sahu said, in the letter.

She noted that the sale of Schedule H and H1 medicines without a prescription from a registered medical practitioner and without the supervision of registered pharmacists is a clear violation of Section 18 (c) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 read with rules 65 (9) (a) and 65 (2) of the Drugs Rules, 1945 respectively. The lack of transparency on the sellers’ licenses exacerbates this issue, making it difficult to trace and monitor illegal transactions.

While rampant misuse of these drugs poses a serious threat to people’s health, officers face challenges in controlling the flow of these substances through online channels that often evade regulatory scrutiny.

Noting that the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 was a Central Act, she urged the official to expedite formulation of regulations governing the online sale of pharmaceuticals as it was essential to safeguard public health and ensure that drug sales are conducted legally and responsibly.

Published - November 19, 2024 07:42 pm IST