The Law on Pharmacy stipulates that online drug sales only apply to non-prescription drugs, except in cases of medical isolation when there is a group A infectious disease.
The Law on Pharmacy stipulates that online drug sales only apply to non-prescription drugs, except in cases of medical isolation when there is a group A infectious disease.
The Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Pharmacy has just been passed by the National Assembly . The Law takes effect from July 1, 2025; some provisions will take effect from January 1, 2025.
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| The Law on Pharmacy stipulates that online drug sales only apply to non-prescription drugs, except in cases of medical isolation when there is a group A infectious disease. |
A notable new point of the new Pharmacy Law is the recognition of the form of buying and selling drugs through e-commerce, also known as online drug sales. This is the first time there are regulations on online buying and selling.
Accordingly, the law supplements and regulates the trading of drugs and pharmaceutical ingredients, including trading of drugs and pharmaceutical ingredients by e-commerce method on e-commerce trading floors, e-commerce sales applications, and e-commerce sales websites with online ordering functions.
Thus, online drug retailing is only applicable to non-prescription drugs. Prescription drugs are allowed to be retailed according to regulations of the Minister of Health in cases of medical isolation when there is a group A infectious disease.
Online drug wholesale applies to prescription and non-prescription drugs, and is strictly prohibited for controlled drugs.
Drug retail establishments must provide online consultation and instructions on how to use the drugs to buyers and deliver the drugs to buyers according to detailed instructions from the Minister of Health.
Business establishments must comply with other Government regulations on wholesale of drugs and pharmaceutical ingredients, and retail of drugs by e-commerce.
The legalization of online drug sales in the revised Pharmacy Law is in line with market trends and is expected to bring many positive impacts to the country's pharmaceutical industry. Accordingly, people will enjoy the most benefits in purchasing drugs or health care products.
At the same time, legalizing online drug trading activities also helps the supply and management of drug trading and use to be transparent and effective, moving towards identification on each transaction, contributing positively to improving the effectiveness of patient treatment, reducing the burden on the hospital system, and in line with the development trend of the region and the world in digital transformation.
FPT Retail Deputy General Director Nguyen Do Quyen emphasized the importance of building a strict but flexible management system to ensure drug quality in online drug sales.
“For the first time, the operation of the pharmacy chain model has been officially and specifically legalized. This is of great significance to businesses, affirming the recognition of the National Assembly and management agencies for the role of pharmacy chains in providing drugs to consumers,” Ms. Quyen said.
Although happy that online drug sales have a legal corridor, according to FPT Retail's leader, the company hopes that in the next phase, when developing decrees and guiding circulars, the Government and the Ministry of Health will receive diverse opinions, and at the same time refer to the online drug sales management model of countries with similar characteristics to Vietnam to issue detailed instructions suitable for the digital economy.
According to Mr. Vu Thai Ha, Director of Operations at eDoctor, the demand for buying medicine online is very large and will continue to increase. Lack of clear regulations will easily lead to risks for consumers. Specific regulations are needed to ensure the legality and transparency of online pharmaceutical business.
Although e-commerce is an inevitable trend, some opinions say that there needs to be a distinction between controlled online drug sales and spontaneous drug sales via livestream on social networks. The lack of strict regulations can lead to illegal drug sales, making it difficult for management agencies to ensure drug quality.
Ms. Le Thi Ha, Head of the Department of E-commerce Management under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, also expressed her opinion that many large pharmacy chains have deployed online drug sales, but there are still risks regarding drug quality when consumers buy from unclear sources. Therefore, she proposed that there should be legal tools to effectively distinguish and manage between reputable suppliers and individuals selling spontaneously on social networks.
Source: https://baodautu.vn/loai-thuoc-nao-duoc-phep-ban-online-d231070.html
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