‘Revamp E-Prescription Rules': Chemist Lobby Asks For Mandatory ‘Dispensed' Stamp To Curb Re-Use
The letter flagged that a patient could use the same prescription as a soft copy or a printout of the soft copy at different pharmacies to repeatedly purchase the same medicines
The Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) has written to the apex drug regulator demanding 'urgent modifications" to the current rules governing e-prescribing and e-prescriptions to 'prevent inconvenience, misuse and contravention of laws".
In a detailed letter, seen by News18, the lobby of pharmacists has pointed out loopholes in the country's telemedicine practice guidelines and the health ministry's e-Sanjeevani guidelines. The letter sent to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on June 9 highlights concerns regarding the current guidelines, which allow prescriptions to be sent directly to patients following teleconsultations.
'The issue is that the same prescription, as a soft copy or a printout of the soft copy, could be shown or used by the patient at different pharmacies to repeatedly purchase the same medicines listed on it. This can lead to repeat dispensing and misuse and is detrimental to public health," the letter said. It added that current guidelines lack 'any means of checking, confirming, or stopping this".
The IPA has called for the Drugs & Cosmetics Act and Rules to be revised so that 'the pharmacist must put a 'Dispensed' stamp on an original printout of the prescription," and that this provision be expanded to cover e-prescriptions as well.
Adapt the global ecosystem
According to the letter, which is also sent to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), e-prescribing systems are globally proven to enhance efficiency and safety, but India must tailor its approach to local conditions.
The letter cites the example of Australia, stating that the country also introduced electronic prescribing in May 2020 after they built a robust system that allows doctors to electronically prescribe medications to patients in the form of an encrypted QR code or text message.
The catch here is that upon visiting the pharmacy of his choice, the patient shows the QR Code or text message, and the pharmacy scans it. Following this, the prescription is generated. 'The safety factor here is that the patient cannot repeatedly use the same prescription," the letter said.
What should India do?
'We request you to please understand the situation: Very often, such e-prescriptions will be from doctors who are not from the patient's city or state. The pharmacist to whom the patient brings the prescription is in a dilemma as to whether the prescription is authentic or not."
To eliminate such ambiguity, the IPA in the letter suggests a systemic overhaul. 'The law must mandate that the doctor either electronically send the prescription directly to the pharmacy or provide it in an encrypted mode to the patient, which only a pharmacy can decode, and not the patient."
Highlighting the role of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), one of the flagship schemes of the Modi government, the letter said, 'The ABDM is already in the process of providing unique identities to pharmacies and pharmacists; integrating the receipt and access of e-prescriptions should be a natural extension of this initiative."
Experts hold a different view
While the IPA has called for a system that withholds direct prescription access from consumers, experts News18 spoke to hold a different view.
'The intention of IPA is in the right direction, but it won't be correct to take away the rights of patients. This will shift all power into the hands of pharmacists and pharmacies," said a former official from the National Medical Council (NMC) who was part of the panel framing the telemedicine guidelines.
Echoing a similar observation, another official, an industry veteran running a successful e-pharmacy firm, told News18 that the suggestion 'restricts choice for a consumer and structurally will create a doctor-pharmacy nexus, taking away the freedom of choice from a consumer".
'Also, if the pharmacy to which the prescription goes does not have all the medicines in the prescription, which is very normal – then the consumer has no method of access," he said, adding that the pharmacies have no incentive to provide service and affordability to the patients since the consumer is helpless and dependent on them.
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First Published:
June 10, 2025, 09:36 IST
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