The demand for online medicine of the people is very high
Buying medicine online is gradually becoming a trend, bringing many conveniences to people. Of the 52,000 e-commerce websites approved by the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy (Ministry of Industry and Trade), there are up to 900 websites with letters starting with "medicine" or "pharma". Thus, it can be seen that the need to buy and sell drugs online is quite popular.
PV's survey at the website of the pharmacy system A, when looking for antibiotics, users cannot immediately put the drug in the cart, make payments but must click on "Advice now" or "send prescriptions". After you send the prescription, there will be a pharmacy staff calling for advice and selling the prescription if any.
However, online drug purchases still have many loopholes. Some people have also used antibiotic prescriptions since 2020 to buy medicine online. The prescription is still accepted, the pharmacy still delivers the medicine, regardless of whether the prescription is still suitable for the patient's medical condition or not. These issues require early regulation to strictly manage the issue of drug sales via e-commerce.
National Assembly delegate Pham Trong Nghia - full-time member of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Society - said: Currently, the draft Law on Pharmacy (amended) stipulates that only online sales of non-prescription drugs are allowed. In the case of medical isolation when there is an infectious disease in group A, patients are allowed to buy prescription drugs.
Regarding the proposal to expand the permission to sell prescription drugs online to suit online, remote medical examination and treatment, Mr. Nghia said that if we want to regulate such a thing, there must be very good and controllable prescription data.
However, Mr. Nghia frankly stated that this data system is not guaranteed and needs more careful assessments because with the current state of infrastructure, the risk of negative impacts is more than the positive impact. International experience shows that many countries also allow people to buy prescription drugs online, but require a complete database of prescriptions.
He emphasized that when prescription data is standardized with codes and QR codes, patients can scan to buy drugs online and the pharmacy can check and authenticate the prescription, then it should allow online prescription drug sales.
Proposing many regulations on drug sales management via e-commerce
In the face of the strong development of online shopping, the Ministry of Health is drafting amendments to Circulars on good retail practice of drugs, to perfect the legal framework for selling drugs via e-commerce, ensuring safety for users and controlling drug quality more effectively.
The draft amendment of the Ministry of Health proposes to add detailed regulations on the sale of drugs via e-commerce, emphasizing the requirement of consultation before sale. Accordingly, online drug retailers must consult via information technology devices and are only allowed to sell drugs after instructing buyers. This regulation aims to ensure that consumers are provided with full information, avoiding arbitrarily using drugs without expert instructions.
The draft Circular of the Ministry of Health requires online drug retail establishments to ensure product protection throughout the transportation process, use standard packaging, keep information safe and prevent illegal access.
At the same time, online pharmacies must connect data with the pharmaceutical information system to control the origin, price and quality of drugs; have a legal operating license and apply a mechanism to strictly control drug transactions.
The draft clearly stipulates the requirement for preserving drugs during transportation, keeping identification information intact, ensuring that drugs are not damaged or lost. Drug delivery staff must strictly comply with regulations on storage and safety to limit risks.
Currently, Vietnam only allows online sales of over-the-counter drugs. Meanwhile, many countries have implemented online sales of prescription drugs but come with strict regulations to protect consumers.
Many countries require valid prescriptions when selling drugs online
In the United States, online drugs are allowed to be sold but must comply with high security standards and require a valid prescription from a doctor. Platforms such as GoodRx, Amazon Pharmacy provide good drug search and remote medical consultation services.
In the European Union, online pharmacies must have a legal license, display an EU icon and be subject to supervision by national health agencies. Typically, Pharmacy2U (UK) only sells drugs when there is a valid prescription and quality is guaranteed.
Canada, Australia and Japan also apply strict regulations, requiring strict control of information and ensuring drug quality in online sales.
