Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ordered filing of FIRs against online retailer Snapdeal.Com, as also against CEO, directors and distributors, for online sale of prescription drugs.
FDA Commissioner Harshadeep Kamble said investigations into other e-commerce giants like Flipkart and Amazon are also under progress to ascertain if they are also involved in such sales.
Last month, FDA had raided premises of Snapdeal here following complaints about sale of medicines, including prescription drugs, through its website.
Kamble told reporters that FDA has ordered filing an FIR against all concerned persons involved, including Snapdeal CEO Kunal Bahl, other directors of the company and distributors of the drugs.
When contacted, a Snapdeal spokesperson said: "In this matter, we are assisting the FDA team in this investigation and we will continue to do so. We have already delisted the products and said sellers and also stopped payment, in addition to providing all information to the FDA team as required by them."
"Jasper Infotech Pvt Ltd, through Snapdeal.Com offered for sale, exhibited for sale Vigora Tablets 100, a drug containing Sildenafil citrate, to be sold on the prescription of a registered medical practitioner - specialist endocrinologist, venerologist, psychiatrist, dermatologist," Kamble said.
The drug was sold by "Mittal Pharma, Kota, Rajasthan, a seller in agreement with Jasper Ascoril Expectorant", without prescription, he said.
"The drug was also sold by Rishabh Enterprises, New Delhi, a seller in agreement with Jasper, to a customer Amrut Bhagat of Panvel in Maharashtra's Raigad district through a courier in agreement with Jasper, who collected the cost of drug for Jasper," he said.
The officer said Jasper Infotech through Snapdeal.Com exhibited and offered for sale UNWANTED-72 sold by Horizon Medicals, Bangalore, and I-pill, sold by Giriraj Pharmacy in Gujarat's Gandhinagar, sellers in agreement with Jasper.
The offence carries imprisonment of 3 to 5 years with fine of not less than Rs 1 lakh, he added.
FDA has filed an FIR against the persons concerned with Panvel police station, he said.
