Case Against E-Commerce Firm For Selling Abortion Kit Illegally

On the complaint of Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration, the police has registered an offence against a leading e-commerce platform for allegedly selling abortion medicines without medical prescription or other valid documentation, an official said on Monday.

FDA Assistant Commissioner Ganesh Rokade said the offence was registered after his department ordered a 'medical termination of pregnancy (MTP)' kit to verify if such an irregularity existed.

"The courier parcel containing the MTP kit did not have a bill of sale. We have found the kit was supplied by a seller who had registered with the e-commerce firm by using documents of a drug store in Odisha," he said.

The official added that an MTP kit is a 'Schedule H' drug under Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and it is mandatory to sell it only on the prescription of a registered medical practitioner.

Also, as per the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 2002 and Rules, 2003, it is mandatory to use this medicine at a health facility under the supervision of trained persons, he added.

The case was registered under IPC, Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Information Technology Act provisions and Kherwadi police in Mumbai's Bandra area is probing further, an FDA official informed.

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