Report concern about distribution of illegal-unethical medicines
The Indian digital health market continues to command the favour of the Government with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission (ABDM) presenting a multitude of opportunities for emerging and established industry players, according to an industry report.
Even in the absence of sector-specific laws, the existing laws can be harnessed to adequately regulate this space, according to Nishith Desai Associate report released on 27 June 2022.
“While the policies and systems introduced under the ABDM have limited scope today, industry-wide enforcement may be reasonably anticipated, and therefore the ABDM serves as the forerunner to tomorrow’s digital health laws, said the report “Mid-year Update: Digital Health in India”
In January 2022, with the launch of the ABDM Unified Health Interface, digital health companies and other participating entities have been given the green signal to build their services on top of it.
While noting the growth of the e-pharmacies in India, the Report expresses concern over possible misuse of such avenues for distribution of illegal or unethical medicines or outdated, substituted, or counterfeit medications amid the absence of regulations.
The report highlights:
In June 2022, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce submitted its Report on Promotion and Regulation of E-Commerce in India, 20227 (E-Commerce Report).
In 2018, an amendment to the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 (Draft E-pharmacy Rules) were published to introduce specific regulations for e-pharmacies in India.
Subsequently, the COVID-19 pandemic took over and the Draft E-Pharmacy Rules took a setback. However, the Draft E-pharmacy Rules have not been finalised till date.
As for now, the E-Commerce Report notes that such undue delay is not conducive for the fast pace digital markets and that the Draft E-Pharmacy Rules should be finalised and implemented without further delay.
Recently, the National Health Authority (NHA) announced the integration of eSanjeevani – India’s National Telemedicine Service launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) ABDM.
It enables the existing users of eSanjeevani to create their Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) and link it to their existing health records. This is a positive step in collating and digitizing health data of individuals in India.
The users would also be able to share their health records with doctors on eSanjeevani which will help in better clinical decision making and ensuring the continuity of care, says the report. fiinews.com
