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The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has strongly advocated for urgent notification of draft e-Pharmacy Rules to avoid confusion amongst stakeholders.
According to the national trade body, delay in notifying e-Pharmacy Rules is causing a lot of issues for the e-Pharmacy players in terms of ease of doing business, as a simple and clear regulatory pathway is a prerequisite for innovation to thrive in this important sector.
Prashant Tandon, chairperson, FICCI e-Pharmacy Working Group said, “e-Pharmacies abide by FICCI Code of conduct for e-Pharmacies, and comply with the laws of the land. All the orders for prescription-based medicines are processed only against a copy of valid prescription and are dispensed by a licensed pharmacy having a registered pharmacist. e-pharmacies strictly do not accept orders for habit forming medicines, narcotics, or any other sensitive medicines. Additionally, given the importance of the e-pharmacy sector globally, several large investors have recently reached out to the e-pharmacy players, expressing concern about the general investment and regulatory climate in India and have asked for clarifications. Given the government’s solid track record in making India ‘Open for Business’ we have been trying to allay their fears".
e-pharmacies in the country align very well with the national development objectives. It has also been observed that growth of e-Commerce and retail are complementary and reinforce each other. By leveraging the technology in a smart way and under appropriate regulatory control, e-pharmacy sector has scope of adding immense value to the existing pharmacy retail industry, and also the overall healthcare sector.
The growth of internet has given rise to various technology driven models to access and serve consumers in a fast-paced and most efficient way.
FICCI supported the industry to come up with a 'Code of Conduct' for e-pharmacies in the country to ensure proper compliance and high standards of operation and ensure there is no compromise in patient safety.
Currently, there are 50+ start-ups operating in e-pharmacy space in the country, which provides quality and affordable medicines to about 50 lakh patients per month across the country and has served patients across 19,000 + Pin codes.
About 30,000 skilled professionals are employed by the sector. e-pharmacy sector has attracted Rs.4,000 crore plus in FDI from some of the top global investors, and another Rs.2,000 crore is expected in the next 2 to 3 years. Thus, the sector has huge potential to attract FDI, which directly contributes towards the economic development of the country. Moreover, in e-pharmacies, all transactions have a complete digital trail and can be fully tracked bringing transparency in pharma supply chain. Every order dispensed through e-pharmacy is against a prescription and has a valid bill, therefore, tax to the government is paid in full.
e-pharmacy is well covered under existing laws. There is no violation of any existing act and rules in current e-pharmacy model.
However, there are certain difficulties that the sector has been facing towards ease of doing business due to regulatory uncertainty. This is because of the pending Draft e-Pharmacy Rules. e-Pharmacy Draft Rules provide sector specific e-Commerce regulations - aim to harmonize existing laws/guidelines. This is similar to other sectors like Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) guidelines for e-commerce food operators.
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