Ministry of Health strengthens management of drug, food and cosmetic sales on cyberspace

Faced with the alarming situation of buying and selling medicine, food, and cosmetics on e-commerce platforms, the Ministry of Health has taken steps to strengthen control over cyberspace.

Illustration: Internet

The Drug Administration of Vietnam ( Ministry of Health ) has just issued an official dispatch requesting online businesses such as Meta Platforms Inc, Shopee Company Limited and many other e-commerce platforms to implement measures to control and prevent violations.

In addition, to ensure safety for users and maintain a supply of drugs that meet quality standards, the Drug Administration has directed local health departments to closely coordinate with relevant units to strengthen inspection, examination and supervision of pharmaceutical business activities in the area.

In particular, drug retail establishments will be strictly inspected for compliance with the business location stated on the Certificate of Eligibility for Pharmaceutical Business. Acts of selling drugs in violation of regulations, buying and selling online without permission, consuming prescription drugs, and special control drugs not following procedures will be strictly handled according to the law.

The Department also requires pharmaceutical businesses to strictly implement the principles and standards of "Good Manufacturing Practice" (GPP), paying special attention to checking the origin, quality and expiry date of drugs before circulation. Pharmacies must strengthen the inspection of legal documents of suppliers and customers, and only conduct transactions with entities that have appropriate business eligibility certificates.

Along with inspection and supervision, the Ministry of Health recommends that people only buy medicine at legal businesses with clear information about the origin of the product. Consumers need to be vigilant and not buy medicine based on unofficial information from social networks or unverified e-commerce channels to avoid the risk of buying fake or poor quality goods that affect their health.

The move to tighten management of pharmaceutical business activities on the Internet by the Ministry of Health is considered by experts to be timely and necessary, especially in the context of e-commerce booming, but with many potential risks for specific fields such as pharmaceuticals.

Source: https://baophuyen.vn/phap-luat/202504/bo-y-te-tang-cuong-quan-ly-ban-thuoc-thuc-pham-my-pham-tren-khong-gian-mang-cd8462f/