Display boards offering arbitrary discount on drugs to face action in Kerala
Drug inspectors and assistant drugs controllers authorised to check if shops are putting up misleading advertisements that can influence the purchasing decisions of consumers
Kerala's State Drugs Control department is taking action against medical shops that display boards offering arbitrary discounts on drugs. Drug inspectors and assistant drug controllers are authorized to investigate whether such shops are using misleading advertisements to influence consumer purchasing decisions. The All-Kerala Chemists and Druggists Association (AKCDA) filed a complaint that led to a drug inspector in Alappuzha initiating an inquiry against a newly opened shop in the district.
This comes after a circular issued by K. Sujith Kumar, State Drugs Controller, based on Kerala High Court orders from June 19. The court upheld the State Drugs Controller's right to request an affidavit from medical shop licensees, stating that it is not illegal to provide actual discounts to customers, but displaying misleading or vague discount boards is prohibited.
The circular emphasizes that drug prices should be displayed in a transparent, honest, clear, and examinable manner. The action against these shops is also prompted by a legal dispute between traditional pharmacy shops and new-generation outlets offering discounts between 20% and 80%. Critics argue that these new pharmacies are attempting to monopolize the medicine trade or procure medicines from unregulated sources due to their ability to offer significantly higher discounts than licensed retailers, who are limited to margins between 8% and 20% under the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority guidelines.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu Health's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
