The Ministry of health and family welfare on Thursday issued a notification with respect to the doorstep delivery of drugs/medicines to the consumers to meet the requirements of emergency arising during the period of lockdown due to COVID-19 and also in public interest.
The Central Government in exercise of powers conferred by the Drugs and Cosmetics Act directed that in case any person holding a license in Form-20 or Form-21 under the drugs and cosmetics rules to sell, stock or exhibit or offer for sale, or distribute drugs by retail with doorstep delivery of drugs, intends to sell the medicines by doorstep delivery of drug, the licensee can sell such drugs with subject to the condition that any such sale of a drug shall be based on a receipt of prescription physically or through e-mail.
The notification prescribed several other conditions which needs to be fulfilled by the licensee in order to sell any drug which are as follows:
- The licensee shall submit an e-mail ID for registration with the licensing authority if prescriptions are to be received through e-mail.
- The drug shall be supplied at the doorstep of the patients located within the same revenue district where the licensee is located.
- In case of any chronic disease, the prescription will have to be presented to the licensee within 30 days of its issue and then only it shall dispensed. Further, if the disease is acute the same shall be done within 7 days and then only it shall dispensed.
- The Bill or cash memo shall be sent by the return email and records of all such transactions shall be maintained by the licensee.
The Central Government through the Gazette also stated that it is necessary and expedient to regulate and restrict the sale and distribution of ‘Hydroxy-chloroquine’ to meet the requirements of emergency arising due to pandemic COVID-19. The Central Government further directed that sale by retail of any preparation containing “Hydroxy-chloroquine” shall be in accordance with the rules framed under the relevant law.
-Pulkit Atal