Hyderabad: The online sale of drugs like anti-depressants, anti-hypertensives and sildenafil citrate (used for erectile dysfunction) without prescriptions has been brought to the notice of the drug authorities.
A drug control officer said the issue was that these activities were being carried out clandestinely by a group of pharmacists and also by companies. While in other parts of the country raids have been carried out, there have only been complaints from time to time about the illegal sale of these drugs in the state.
Deputy director of the Drugs Control department, Hyderabad, Nagabhusam P. said, “These are addictives. In all our forums we have been explaining that online sales are illegal. Companies or individuals must not indulge in it.”
Dr S. Ramakrishna, a general physician at Kukatpally said, “There are some who are taking prescriptions from doctors on smartphones and then ordering the drugs. The number is less now but it can slowly become a huge burden.”
Before it reaches alarming levels, the Drugs Controller Gene-ral of India has been asked to monitor these activities.
A senior drug controller explained, “We have to check the supply chain of medicines at the company level. Only from there can the defaults be found and curtailed, he said, adding, “presently, the circulation is restricted to a group of people or only in some pockets but if not checked, it can magnify later.”
