BackMaharashtra FDA raids Snapdeal office in Mumbai
The FDA commissioner had received a complaint about prescription drugs being sold through the website
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Mumbai: The food and drug administration (FDA) department of the Maharashtra government raided the premises of online marketplace Snapdeal at Goregaon in Mumbai for selling prescription drugs on Thursday, according to a statement issued by the FDA on Friday.
The state body has asked the company to remove deals on such drugs from the website.
FDA commissioner Harshdeep Kamble received a specific complaint that prescription drugs such as Ascoril cough syrup and Vigora tablets were being sold through the website, said the statement.
The FDA said its officials had seized all documents regarding the drug sales such as agreements with vendors and delivery challans to customers. The FDA is also raiding Snapdeal’s warehouses to confiscate drugs stored there, said the FDA.
The statement said that as per the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, only a licensed retailer can sell prescription drugs and that too after verifying the prescription given by a medical practitioner. The FDA is also scrutinising the dealings of other online retailers such as Flipkart and Amazon to check sale of prescription drugs, the FDA said.
“We are still in process of ascertaining since when Snapdeal was selling these prescription drugs, what was its volume of business among other things and depending upon this, quantum of penalty and further action will depend," said Kamble.
A Snapdeal spokesperson said the online marketplace had already delisted the products and “provided all information to the FDA team."
“Snapdeal acts as an intermediary between the seller and buyer of the products listed on the platform. Though we periodically educate sellers on engaging in fair and safe sales on the platform and consequences of selling inappropriate products, at times sellers end up listing such products," the spokesperson said. “Upon being notified of any such products, we delist the products and take appropriate action against such seller."
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