Until now, national legislation did not have clear provisions on the sale of medicines over the Internet, leaving the sector unregulated and limiting citizens’ rapid access to treatment.
The new legislative initiative amends the Law on Pharmaceutical Activities and introduces strict rules for patient safety:
- Legalization of distance selling: licensed economic agents will be able to sell and deliver medicines online.
- Strict operating rules: activities will be strictly monitored by health authorities to prevent the sale of counterfeit products.
- Digitalization of services: this measure will support low-mobility patients and people living in rural areas, who will be able to order necessary medicines directly at home.
For the private sector and businesses in the pharmaceutical sector, the project creates prerequisites for the development of modern distribution models. The authors of the document assure that the new rules will increase transparency and provide more predictable access to the market without creating an excessive administrative burden on companies.
Recall that this draft law also provides for the possibility of recognizing in Moldova prescriptions issued in EU countries for medicines allowed for sale on the domestic market. The authorities envisage certain exceptions. Refusal to recognize a prescription will be possible, for example, in case of reasonable suspicions regarding its authenticity or content. The competent authorities will take measures to ensure continuity of treatment if the prescription is written in an EU state for medicines available in the Republic of Moldova.
The draft law is to be adopted in the second reading.
