The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) on Thursday asked e-commerce operators not to sell Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani drugs without a valid prescription from users.
“E-commerce platforms have been advised that the sale or facilitating the sale of such drugs shall be done only after a valid prescription of a registered Ayurveda, Siddha or Unani practitioner is uploaded by the user on the platform. Consuming such drugs without medical supervision can lead to severe health complications,” the advisory added.
It added that such products should have labels stating, “Caution: To be taken under medical supervision” both in English and Hindi.”
The advisory added that a public notice issued by the Ministry of Ayush in 2016 said Ayurvedic, Siddha or Unani drugs “are required to be taken under medical supervision and purchasing the same online without medical consultation should be avoided.”
The Authority has been monitoring issues affecting consumer welfare. Recently, it issued guidelines on the levy of service charge in hotels and restaurants and prevention of misleading advertisements and endorsements .
“To safeguard consumer rights while shopping online, CCPA has issued an advisory to all marketplace e-commerce entities to ensure that details of sellers, including the name and contact number of the grievance officer, are provided in a clear and accessible manner, displayed prominently to users on the platform,” it added.
In recent months, CCPA has also issued safety notices to caution consumers against buying goods which do not hold a valid ISI mark and violate BIS standards.