Kazakhstan plans to significantly tighten restrictions on the sale of medicines through online platforms. Prescription drugs — including widely used antibiotics — could be completely banned from sale on marketplaces, according to Bauyrzhan Jussipov, chairman of the Medical and Pharmaceutical Control Committee.
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Jussipov said medications that should be available only with a doctor’s prescription are currently being sold freely online. The ministry now handles such violations on a case-by-case basis, requesting that platform owners remove the products. However, officials say that approach has proven ineffective, prompting plans for a broader ban.
“Prescription drugs should never be purchased online; they should only be dispensed in pharmacies based on a specialist’s prescription,” Jussipov said.
What could change
If the proposed rules take effect, consumers would no longer be able to order antibiotics and other prescription medicines online. Instead, they would need to purchase them at pharmacies and present a valid prescription.
According to Jussipov, the amendments are expected to take effect this fall.
Read also: Indian potency drug Desilmax banned in Kazakhstan.
