Pharmacists urge mandatory reporting of medicine consignments by courier and logistics companies.
Pharmacists have urged the Karnataka Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make it mandatory for courier and logistics companies to report medicine consignments to drug control authorities to curb the unauthorised sale and distribution of prescription drugs.
Nandkishor Saraswat, founder president of the Belagavi District Retail Pharmacy Association, wrote to FDA Commissioner Shrinivas K on Tuesday asking for a reporting and monitoring mechanism similar to the initiative undertaken by the Nagaland government.
Saraswat said the increasing use of online platforms and courier services to distribute medicines raised concerns about the possible supply of Schedule H and Schedule H1 drugs without valid prescriptions. He proposed that courier companies furnish details such as the sender’s name and address, recipient details, medicine particulars and parcel tracking numbers to the concerned District Drug Inspector or designated drug control authority.
He said coordination between courier companies, logistics providers, online medicine platforms and drug control authorities could help identify suspicious consignments and facilitate timely regulatory action.
Source: The New Indian Express
