Key Points
The Delhi High Court has granted six weeks' time to the Centre to inform it about the outcome of consultations and deliberations with stakeholders on draft rules to regulate e-pharmacies..
The court was hearing pleas seeking a ban on "illegal" sale of drugs online and challenging the draft rules published by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to further amend the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules...
A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad made it clear that pendency of these matters will not come in way of the Central government in taking action against persons who are violating the court's December 12, 2018 interim order putting a stay on the sale of drugs without licence by online pharmacies...
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued the draft amendment to the Rules, 1945 for inclusion of the rules to regulate online sale of drugs vide its August 28, 2018 notification and had called for objections and suggestions from all stakeholders to be considered by the Central government...
Some of the e-pharmacies had earlier told the high court that they do not require a licence for online sale of drugs and prescription medicines as they do not sell them and instead they are only delivering the medications akin to food delivery app Swiggy...
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