The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s proposal for permitting retail sale of medicines through mobile vans, in view of escalating property prices in metros like Mumbai, has been rejected by the Union health ministry on the plea that it will be difficult to keep a track of the mobile vans or take actions as per Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945.

The Maharashtra FDA commissioner had earlier written to the office of drug controller general of India (DCGI) that due to the escalating property prices in metros like Mumbai, it is becoming increasingly un-remunerative to open new drug dispensing retail outlets as the capital costs of such premises does not support the business module for sale of drugs.

As an alternative, he suggested that drug dispensing may be permitted through mobile vans of appropriate sizes and these may be operated as 'Mobile Drugs Dispensing Outlets' with certain stipulation like restriction of number of mobile vehicles in a geographical locality. Initially it may be permitted to sale generic drugs and subsequently extended to branded medicines at an appropriate time.

Earlier, Anil Desai, member of Rajya Sabha, had also written to the office of DCGI to examine the feasibility of permitting retail sale of medicines through mobile vans so that the medicines could be made available to the needy patients in view of the sky rocketing prices of real estate.

The issue was taken up at the 46th meeting of the Drugs Consultative Committee (DCC) held on November 12-13, 2013.

After deliberations, the DCC headed by the DCGI rejected the proposal. The DCC members were of the opinion that the requirements for having an establishment for retail sale have been made for uniform application in the country. The problem of escalation of property prices is limited to metros or other similar big cities only. As such rules should not be amended to suit only a few areas. It may be difficult to keep a track of the mobile vans or take actions as per Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, the DCC recommended.