The government proposes a ban on selling drugs on social media

The government presented a draft pharmacy bill to the National Assembly on Monday, which stipulated that online sales of medicines and drug ingredients must take place via e-commerce platforms, applications or websites.

It also said the sale of drugs and medicinal materials on social media is not allowed, as well as “other forms of e-business” that are not specified in the law.

The Social Committee agreed with this proposal, but also requested the listing of specific medicines authorized for sale on the Internet, as well as the conditions for doing business on e-commerce platforms, to ensure fairness in the traditional sale of medicines.

The commission found that there are two streams of opinion on the sale of medicines online. One wants only over-the-counter medicines to be allowed for sale online, without restrictions and medicines that can be used without medical supervision, while the other wants the Minister of Health to set the criteria himself to ensure flexibility.