NAVI MUMBAI: A medical inspector attached to office of joint commissioner, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Thane, on Saturday registered an FIR against Meesho, an online shopping portal, and M/s SS Traders, a medicine distributor based in Delhi, for selling abortion drugs online without doctor's prescriptions.
Acting on a complaint by medical inspector Sunil Gawali (43), a resident of Seawoods, the NRI coastal police have booked unidentified owners, partners, directors and other officials of Meesho and M/s SS Traders under relevant sections of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
As per the FIR filed on March 28, complainant Suhas Gadekar had informed a state minister about abortion drugs being widely sold online by Meesho, an online shopping app. The complainant demanded immediate action against sale of abortion drugs online. Accordingly, FDA joint commissioner, Thane, ordered medical inspector Gawali to verify the complaint by ordering the abortion drug online from Meesho.
On April 1, Gawali placed an order for the abortion drug from his mobile phone using the Meesho App and mentioned his residence address with cash on delivery option. Gawali received the order on April 6. The parcel was sent by M/s SS Traders from South Delhi.
It was confirmed that the abortion drug was being sold without any doctor's prescription and in spite of the drug label mentioning that it should be used under the supervision of service provider and in a medical facility as specified under MTP Act 2002, and MTP Rules 2003.
