The deadline of the Food and Drug Organization for the formulation of guidelines for the operation of health platforms has expired for the third time, in September deregulation committee had given this organization a 4-month deadline for the formulation of guidelines for the operation of health platforms. Now, the Digital Economy Steering Committee has directly undertaken the task of developing guidelines for drug distribution platforms
According to Iran digital economy annotation, so far the digital economy working group, the government board and the deregulation board have separately required the Ministry of Health and the Food and Drug Organization to formulate guidelines for the operation of health platforms; But this organization has not taken any action in this direction.
Finally, in the last meeting of the Steering Committee of the Digital Economy Working Group, the Minister of Communications mandated the secretary of this commission, Reza Bagheri Asl, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, to develop guidelines for the operation of drug distribution platforms, and this guideline should be finalized and communicated before the Fajr decade.
In the latest reaction to the legal requirement to formulate guidelines for the operation of health platforms, the Supreme Council of Pharmacies of the country organized a rally in front of the Ministry of Health to oppose the formulation of this guideline. So far, the only official opposition to the activity of health platforms and drug distribution platforms is the Iranian Pharmaceutical Association.
The Pharmaceutical Association of Iran has regularly opposed the updating of health services over the past years, the Pharmaceutical Association of Iran was one of the serious opponents of online prescribing and darooyar, and at that time it also regularly opposed the implementation of that plan.
Although the Minister of Health has tried not to take sides in various interviews, he has repeatedly emphasized that pharmacies are the only authorities for the sale and distribution of drugs, although in his last interview he announced that pharmacies can buy the drugs of chronic patients that they take regularly online. Order for them.
The emphasis of the Minister of Health on the distribution of drugs through pharmacies does not conflict with the activities of the platforms, the platforms have regularly announced that they only work with pharmacies licensed by the Food and Drug Organization and through the systems of the Ministry of Health, pharmacies and doctors are authenticated in various ways. And they qualify.
Last year, the Board of Ministers, by approving the regulation “Supporting knowledge-based and job-creating production in the field of health” and in Article 8 of this regulation, obliged the Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Education to cooperate with the Ministries of Communication and Information Technology within two months from the date of notification. That is, in September 2022, the “regulations of the program of smartening the supply chain of health-oriented services and products” should be compiled and approved by the digital economy working group.
Due to the failure of this resolution, the deregulation board also obliged the Ministry of Health to determine within 4 months the license to sell drugs online by the distribution companies to pharmacies, as well as the instructions for the use of platform services by the distribution companies within 4 months, and on 11 December This legal opportunity is coming to an end and no action has been taken yet by the Ministry of Health and the Food and Drug Organization.
In November 2023, the Ministry of Health tried to consider this legal task accomplished by presenting its proposal for the activities of smart operators to the Digital Economy Working Group, but the Digital Economy Working Group stated that the Ministry of Health should formulate a separate instruction for the distribution of medicine through platforms.
Finally, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Reza Bagheri Asl, the secretary of the Digital Economy Steering Committee, in the 38th meeting of this commission, obliged to summarize the issues raised in the working group on the status and operation of online drug distribution platforms before mid-january, with the coordination of the Ministry of Health.
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