Restrictions to online sales of medicines in Hungary:
Online sale of medicines in Hungary became almost impossible this year.
Although the pandemic saw a drastic increase in the need for online medicines, the Hungarian government decided to stop this trend and pushed online sales of medicines back to the start.
Online sale of prescription-only medicines, RX medicinal products were never allowed in Hungary. However, now in 2022 even over-the-counter (OTC) medicines cannot be ordered online to the patient’s home.
Although the e-prescription system is finally working well, OTC and RX medicines basically can only be bought in person in a local pharmacy. In case of online sales, only pharmacists or qualified pharmacy staff can deliver any OTC or prescription-only medicinal products to patients’ homes. Simply, though, there is not enough qualified workforce in pharmacies to manage home deliveries, so most pharmaceutical web shops have shut down or are selling only food supplements, cosmetics, and drug store products.
The Authority strictly checks the e-pharmacy market and controls e-commerce in medicines, as only pharmacies that have registered their website with the authorities can operate an online pharmacy. All online pharmacies and pharmaceutical retailers in the European Union must display the European Commission logo, which must lead the patient to the national register of online pharmacies.
In the event of a breach of the rules for distribution of medicinal products, the fine ranges from 240 EUR to 1,215,000 EUR with regard to the circumstances plus the scope and severity of violation of patients’ interest. The first fine published for violation of online sale almost exceeded 50,000 EUR.
The growth of pharma e-commerce has come to a halt and patients as well as distributors are desperately awaiting reasonable reform to stabilise the e-pharmacy market in Hungary.
Source:
Act XCVIII of 2006 on the General Provisions Relating to the Reliable and Economically Feasible Supply of Medicinal Products and Medical Aids and on the Distribution of Medicinal Products
Act XCV of 2005 on Medicinal Products for Human Use and on the Amendment of Other Regulations Related to Medicinal Products