The largest pharmaceutical associations have written another appeal to the Prime Minister…

Largest pharmaceutical associations wrote another appeal to the Prime Minister with a request to tighten the rules for online trade in medicines and dietary supplements. Industry representatives are asking to speed up the adoption of the bill, which provides for the possibility of blocking Internet pages with illegal dietary supplements – they reminded that there is an unclosed gestalt. At the beginning of the year, one such letter was already sent, also to M. Mishustin. The result, alas, is still zero.

Lately there has been chaos in the remote market. And this is not lyrics, there is real evidence of this. The National Consumer Protection Union (NCLU) found an amphetamine derivative in dietary supplements in the “weight loss” category purchased online, and in the “male” dietary supplement category – prescription sildenafil. The Center for Social Development found that every 4th dietary supplement on the RuNet is sold without state registration, and every 5th contains components prohibited in Russia. Farmvestnik bought prescription Areplivir “under protocol”, and on the marketplace website it was listed as a dietary supplement. Complete anarchy, in some places subject to criminal liability.

Among the violators are Wildberries, OZON, as well as various specialized online stores: “Always Healthy” and many others. After a number of publications in major media, marketplaces “cleansed” their assortment. As practice shows, they do not remove illegal goods from sale; after some time, these items will return to sale. As long as there is no demand for a real threat to such sellers, nothing will change. Impunity and permissiveness give a lot of freedom – maybe it’s time to put an end to this?

Only coordinated measures can correct the situation, which is what the associations are asking for from the Government. Finally, pass a law on blocking the pages of sites selling dietary supplements without state registration. Tighten liability for the sale of prescription drugs on marketplaces. Change the rules of trade so that it is clearly clear that this is possible, but that is not possible. We assume that the country’s leaders are busy with other things: saving the Russian economy, for example, or finding ways to circumvent Western sanctions. But the safety and well-being of citizens is actually no less important. Moreover, it is much easier to correct the situation here – if only there is a desire.