Technology, this one word, has evolved our life so much that it has now become one the integral parts of our life. In fact, if you look around carefully, you might even notice that you are surrounded by technology.
Your smartphones, laptops, televisions, artificial intelligence tools and whatnot! These are one of the best technological inventions you can ever have in your life.
Not only your personal but also your professional business has relied upon technology. Nowadays, most industries are getting mobile, and the web development and pharma sector are not far behind in this race.
Despite this constant demand in the pharma sector, some people aren’t fully aware of its legal aspects. Yes, there are certain rules and regulations that one must be mindful of before actually starting an online pharmacy business.
Legal Aspects of E-Pharmacy in India
When you start your pharmacy business, you are generally governed by the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940, Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1945, Pharmacy Act 1948, Indian Medical Act 1956, and Code of Ethics 2002.
However, when it comes to online pharmacy, there are no particular laws and orders one must be aware of, except for the Information and Technology Act 2000, which controls and takes care of all the activities and concerns conducted over the internet.
Let us brief you on the significant drafted policies
Section 67I states the definitions of E-pharmacy, E-pharmacy portal, Central Licensing Unit, Prescriptions and Selling through online pharmacies.
Section 67J prevents any individual from distributing or selling, exhibiting or offering the sale of drugs via an e-pharmacy portal except in cases wherein he is registered under rule 67N. All activities of retail sales should only be managed by e-pharmacy.
The owner of E-pharmacy must provide the drugs as per the given order within the committed time.
Customer support services and grievance redressal should not run less than 12 hours on all days in a week. The person addressing the issues and facilitating customer support should be a registered pharmacist that answers all the queries via the customer helpline.
Section 67k states that the disclosure of information of order received either through prescription or via any means to any other person is strictly prohibited.
You are liable to share the information only in case the central or state government asks you to do so or if it is for public health.
Online Pharmacy App Development should be in India, and its data should remain localized. Furthermore, this data should neither be stored nor sent outside India by any means.
Section 67L states that the owner must apply for the grant of E-pharmacy to the central licensing authority in form 18AA via the online portal of the central government.
Section 67M states the regulations for registration of E-pharmacy at the government portal.
Section 67N describes the grant of registration of E-pharmacy.
Section 67O describes the timely assessment of E-pharmacy, which is assessed every 2 years by a team of officers authorized by the central licensing authority.
Section 67P states the way of distributing or selling the drugs through an online pharmacy.
Section 67Q states the effective period of online pharmacy, which is 3 years from the registration date.
Section 67R mentions the renewal of registered online pharmacy wherein the owner must fill an application in form 18AA with a sum of fifty thousand rupees and attach the documents as specified in the same.
Suppose you fill out the application before or within the last 3 months of the expiration date. In that case, your portal shall continue to run until the orders are passed on the application. The run time of the portal will expire if the renewal is not processed during the last six months after the expiry.
Section 67S states the prohibition of advertisements of drugs via an online pharmacy.
Section 67T states the suspension or cancellation of a registered pharmacy.
Section 67U states a compliant redressal mechanism.
Section 67V states the monitoring of online pharmacies.
Section 67W mentions the payment method through which you can pay the fee.
Lastly,
Even though there are no specific rules and regulations for the online selling of medicines and products, you are still liable to follow particular rules under the IT Act of India. The above-mentioned sheds light on the ins and outs of online pharmacy in India.
So, if you are looking for pharmacy app development for your online business, then we can help. Our pharmacy app developers in India will help you develop a fully customizable pharmacy app according to your pharmacy’s flow.
