Online Medicine Sales Pilot Halted, But Not All Platforms Banned from Listing Products or Providing Information
By/Sanqin Metropolis Daily
Recently, news that the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) has requested an end to the pilot program for online retail of pharmaceuticals via third-party internet platforms has sparked heated discussion among netizens. Some argue that drug safety is critical to public health and that online sales make it difficult to guarantee against counterfeit medicines; others feel that online purchasing is convenient and that halting the program does not align with the consumption habits of some consumers. A reporter logged into the three pilot platforms and found that Tmall Pharmacy and Yihaodian have both ceased online drug sales, while the third platform, 800 Fang, still displayed options for payment and purchase.
Quality Issues May Be the Primary Reason for Closure
Yesterday, reporters logging into the Tmall Health Pharmacy and Yihaodian found that the “Buy Now” and “Add to Cart” options on the drug purchase pages had been replaced with a “Submit Request” option. A Tmall customer service representative stated that, in accordance with regulatory policies, online retail sales of pharmaceuticals by third-party platforms have been suspended. The “Submit Request” function serves only as a reservation system and does not support online payment. “Currently, we essentially operate as an online display platform for pharmaceutical products.”
800 Square, for its part, stated that while certain medications on its platform remain available for direct purchase, this is merely a short-term grace period offered to a select few merchants to allow for adjustment; online pharmaceutical transactions will be fully suspended thereafter.
During the pilot program for online retail of pharmaceuticals via third-party internet platforms, numerous issues emerged. The difficulty in effectively regulating drug quality and safety became one of the primary reasons for suspending the pilot. Currently, online transactions for both prescription and over-the-counter drugs on third-party platforms have been halted, while health supplements and medical devices remain available for normal sale.
E-Commerce of Pharmaceuticals Requires Strengthened Regulation
The suspension of the online drug sales pilot program targets third-party platforms; online pharmacies operated directly by brick-and-mortar pharmacies may continue to sell medications as usual. As third-party platforms are not professional healthcare institutions or pharmacies, and given previous reports of consumers purchasing counterfeit drugs online, concerns about drug quality have indeed eroded public confidence. However, industry insiders argue that there is minimal risk in selling over-the-counter (OTC) drugs through third-party platforms, and such sales should not be subject to a blanket suspension.
“As long as the entry barriers for online pharmaceutical retailers are raised and non-compliant stores are effectively supervised and penalized, there is no fundamental difference between purchasing medications online or at physical pharmacies. Moreover, consumers are generally familiar with common over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, and offering them for sale via the internet aligns with prevailing consumer habits,” said Li Ming (a pseudonym), head of a pharmaceutical retail company in Xi’an. For third-party platform-based pharmaceutical retailers, the primary value lies in promotion and advertising, which can significantly boost traffic—a benefit that individual retail pharmaceutical enterprises cannot achieve on their own. “Establishing an independent sales and payment platform would incur substantial costs. Therefore, most pharmaceutical companies still rely on existing third-party platforms for online sales.”
Zhao Dongke, Vice President of the Provincial Pharmaceutical Association, believes that among the issues exposed by the pilot program, inadequate regulation of prescription drug sales is detrimental to protecting consumer interests and medication safety. Therefore, whether prescription drugs should be sold through third-party platforms indeed warrants careful consideration. “Prescription drugs generally have a narrow scope of use and require administration under the guidance of a physician. Although online sales of prescription drugs require uploading a prescription, it remains difficult to effectively regulate aspects such as how the medication should be taken and when it should be discontinued.”
“Over-the-counter drugs have a relatively assured safety profile; as long as patients are capable of self-medication and possess basic knowledge, they can use these medications appropriately. Therefore, online sales channels should be made available. The internetization of healthcare is an emerging trend, and the sale of pharmaceuticals online should not be subject to a simplistic ‘one-size-fits-all’ ban,” said Zhao Dongke.