China to allow online sales of prescription drugs

(ECNS) – China plans to allow online sales of prescription drugs, and online pharmacy operators will be included in the nation's medical care program, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported Saturday.

The China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) is considering some drugs for online sales, the report says, and drugs that are relatively safe and used to treat common and chronic diseases will be included in the catalogue in the initial stage.

Once the new regulation comes into force, patients suffering from chronic diseases will no longer need to wait at the nation's hospitals to buy drugs for their treatments. 

Under current rules, drug stores are not allowed to sell prescription drugs without a doctor's prescription.

According to a proposal made by four deputies of the National People's Congress last March, China's online drug sales barely hit 1.7 billion yuan ($270.3 million) in 2012, less than 1 percent of the country's retail pharmacy market.