Summary:
They have urged the Centre to hold its proposal to prohibit them from circulating prescription data till details of the Data Protection Bill are finalised. Online pharmacies, locked in confrontation with their brick-and-mortar counterparts, are seeking to stay out of regulatory framework on sharing patient data with other parties for as long as they can. Similarly, the Indian Pharmaceutical Association has emphasised the need for more clarity from the Centre on protection of patients' data. The IPA said mere uploading of a prescription, or prescribing drugs online, amounted to oversimplification of a process that needs clear checks. The IPA stressed the need for clear procedures of how medicines will be dispensed by online pharmacies needs to be laid down for proper functioning..