Kazakhstan plans to ban sale of antibiotics on marketplaces

Tengrinews.kz – Kazakhstan intends to severely restrict the sale of medicines through online platforms. The Ministry of Healthcare is proposing a complete ban on the sale of prescription drugs, including popular antibiotics, on marketplaces.

Details

Chairman of the Committee for Medical and Pharmaceutical Control Bauyrzhan Jussipov told Tengrinews.kz about this.

According to Jussipov, cases are currently being recorded in Kazakhstan’s internet space where medicines that must be dispensed strictly by a doctor’s prescription are freely available on popular marketplaces.

In such situations, the Health Ministry is forced to respond on a case-by-case basis by contacting authorized agencies so they can reach out to platform owners and have illegal listings removed.

However, as the speaker noted, targeted measures are no longer enough, and the ministry plans to regulate this issue systemically.

“Prescription drugs must under no circumstances be bought or purchased online. They must be dispensed by a pharmacist at a pharmacy,” Bauyrzhan Jussipov said.

What will change for consumers

The Health Ministry proposes introducing the following rules:

1. A complete ban on online purchases. It will no longer be possible to freely order a “favorite” antibiotic or any other prescription medicine with home delivery or delivery to a pickup point.
2. A return to traditional pharmacies. To buy such medicines, citizens will have to personally visit regular pharmacies and present an official prescription from a doctor.

The Ministry of Healthcare is expected to work out the draft regulatory norms by autumn.