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YMAM Desk
New Delhi, August 8, 2025:
The government said today that sale and distribution of drugs including painkillers and psychotropic drugs are regulated by State Licensing Authorities (SLAs) appointed by State Governments under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and the rules made thereunder.
In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Anupriya Patel stated that SLAs are empowered for the implementation, monitoring, and enforcement of the Act and rules, with the authority to take legal action in case of non-compliance.
To comprehensively regulate the online sale of medicines, the Government of India published draft rules on August 28, 2018, proposing amendments to the Drugs Rules, 1945 to incorporate specific provisions related to e-pharmacy regulation. The draft rules include mandatory registration of e-pharmacies, periodic inspections, defined procedures for distribution or sale of drugs online, a prohibition on the advertisement of drugs through e-pharmacy, complaint redressal mechanisms, and systematic monitoring.