Hyderabad: A comprehensive study conducted by researchers from The George Institute for Global Health in Hyderabad, along with collaborators from India and Kenya, revealed that most e-pharmacies operating in India are falling short of proposed regulations and best practices. The study evaluated 61 websites and 30 mobile apps that sell prescription-only medicines directly to Indian consumers.
According to the study, only 16% of these platforms provided complete information on medicines, such as side effects, drug interactions, and contraindications. While 90% offered a facility to upload prescriptions—a key safeguard in online medicine sales—only a small fraction disclosed basic details such as registration numbers, supervisory pharmacists, or company directors.
Alarmingly, 34% of the reviewed platforms in India listed narcotic or controlled substances for sale, despite the absence of supporting prescriptions or relevant regulatory disclosures. Only 5% displayed a pharmacy registration number, and just 13% offered refill reminders. A grievance redressal mechanism was found in only 20% of the websites. However, 93% had a telephonic helpline, and 87% displayed a privacy policy.
Compliance better among high-traffic, India-based sites
The researchers noted that e-pharmacies with higher traffic and those physically based in India showed better adherence to proposed norms. These platforms were more likely to include features like prescription upload, delivery tracking, and grievance policies. However, they were also more likely to offer controlled substances, raising questions about domestic regulatory enforcement.
Unlike Kenya, which has a formal e-pharmacy regulatory framework, India currently lacks specific binding regulations, relying instead on draft bills and guidelines. The study stressed the urgent need for a formal regulatory framework tailored to India’s growing e-pharmacy market.
Researchers recommended a risk-based regulatory approach that distinguishes between compliant, partially compliant, and non-compliant e-pharmacies.
The study, titled ‘The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Compliance of E-Pharmacies Serving India and Kenya with Regulatory Requirements and Best Practices’, was published in the journal PLOS ONE.
India-Kenya comparison highlights regulatory gaps
The study drew a comparative analysis between India and Kenya, revealing key differences in regulatory compliance and enforcement. While Kenya has a dedicated regulatory framework for e-pharmacies, India operates without regulations and instead depends on draft proposals and guidelines. As a result, e-pharmacies in Kenya demonstrated higher overall compliance, meeting 74% of the country’s 12 regulatory requirements, compared to 54% of India’s 14 proposed standards.
In Kenya, 42% of platforms provided full drug information, while only 16% did so in India. Conversely, Indian platforms were more likely to offer prescription upload facilities (90% vs. Kenya’s 58%).
