E-Pharmacy Advertising: The promotion of antibiotics and prescription drugs may soon face stricter regulations. Let's explain why.

Ban on advertisements of these medicines

Antimicrobial Resistance India: An expert committee formed under India's top drug regulator has recommended changes to existing regulations to prevent advertisements of prescription-only and high-risk drugs. In a meeting last month, the Drug Consultative Committee of the Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) expressed serious concern over the increasing and largely unregulated promotion of medicines on digital platforms. These medicines include life-saving injectables, antibiotics, hormonal therapies, psychotropic medicines, cancer treatments, and narcotics.

Which medicines are banned without approval?

According to a report in India Today, current drug-license conditions already prohibit the advertising of drugs listed in Schedules H, H1, and X without central government approval. A CDSCO official explained that this rule does not explicitly cover licensees who sell or distribute drugs, and marketers are exploiting this loophole.

Increasing advertising on social media

The situation is even more serious on e-pharmacy platforms. State regulators have repeatedly complained that many platforms are aggressively promoting prescription-only drugs, often with steep discounts, to lure customers. According to officials, such promotions have also increased rapidly on social media channels, worsening problems like antibiotic misuse and self-medication, which are already serious public-health challenges.

Now they are sending such promotional messages without asking.

Recently, there have been complaints about promotional text messages for new GLP-1 weight-loss drugs such as Monjaro and Wegovy, whereas these drugs should only be prescribed by a specialist doctor.

CDSCO approval mandatory

To curb the growing misuse of antibiotics, the Central Drugs and Drug Administration (CDSCO) is considering making its approval mandatory before the launch of every new antibiotic in India, even those whose active ingredients are already approved. This move comes at a time when concerns about antimicrobial resistance are growing both domestically and globally. The expert panel has also recommended that all antimicrobial drugs be included in the definition of a new drug, as defined in the New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules, 2019. This means that every antibiotic, regardless of whether it has been previously approved, may require CDSCO approval before manufacturing and marketing.