Regulation of Online Platforms that Sell Drugs that Require Doctors' Prescriptions
Ministry of HealthSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Ms Tin Pei Ling's inquiry regarding the legality of local online platforms selling prescription-only medicines and the enforcement measures taken against such activities. Minister for Health Mr Gan Kim Yong clarified that these medicines can only be dispensed by licensed healthcare institutions or pharmacies with a valid prescription, with violators facing fines up to $50,000 or imprisonment. The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) monitors online sites to detect illegal sales, removes unauthorized content, and collaborates with INTERPOL to tackle international sources of illegal medicines. Furthermore, HSA works with web administrators to educate sellers on regulations while conducting public education campaigns to warn consumers about the risks of buying from dubious online sources. These outreach efforts include issuing consumer advisories and distributing educational videos through public healthcare clusters and major retail pharmacy chains to raise public awareness.
Transcript
37 Ms Tin Pei Ling asked the Minister for Health whether local online marketplace or auction platforms are allowed to sell drugs, such as antibiotics, that require a doctor's prescription and, if disallowed, what the Government is doing to enforce the law.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: Prescription-only medicines can only be dispensed from a licensed healthcare institution or retail pharmacy with a valid prescription. Anyone who contravenes this law can be fined up to $50,000 and/or jailed for up to two years under the Health Products Act.
The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) works with local web administrators to educate online sellers on the laws regulating prescription drugs and the consequences of illegally selling prescription drugs online. It also works with the web administrators to remove inappropriate online content advertising such sales.
In the area of enforcement, HSA monitors online sites to detect illegal sales of medicines and takes actions against those who engage in such sales. As the issue extends beyond local sites, HSA also works with the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and its overseas counterparts to tackle the illegal sale of medicines.
Finally, HSA has embarked on public education efforts to complement its preventive and enforcement activities. It has issued consumer advisories and press releases to raise public awareness on the dangers of purchasing medicines online. In January 2018, for example, HSA launched an online campaign which included an educational video to highlight the risks of buying from dubious online sources. This video is also being shown by our three public healthcare clusters and three major retail pharmacy chains.