Are Physicians Permitted to Sell Medicines? Here’s What the Law and Code of Conduct Say The Drugs Act, 2035 (1978) and the Drug Registration Regulations, 2038 (1981) stipulate that medicines cannot be sold or distributed without proper registration, certification, and the availability of necessary human resources and infrastructure. Patients visit physicians for medical treatment. The physician examines the patient, diagnoses the illness, and prescribes the necessary medication; the patient then proceeds to a pharmacy to purchase it. However, in some instances, medicines are provided to patients directly from the physician’s own clinic or health institution. This gives rise to a significant question: are physicians permitted to sell medicines? This issue extends beyond a mere matter of professional jurisdiction between physicians and pharmacists. It encompasses concerns regarding the safe use of medicines, a patient’s right to choose , conflicts of interest , the pricing and quali...
Nutraceuticals: Should patients not be told or an unnecessary financial burden? With the expansion of the market for nutraceuticals and dietary supplements in Nepal , debates have increased about their registration, quality, price, recommendation, and sales and distribution. A patient goes to the hospital with general weakness, fatigue, or body aches. After an examination, the doctor recommends vitamins, minerals, omega-3, probiotics, or other supplements along with medicine. When it comes time to pay the bill for the medicine at the pharmacy, patients are shocked. Supplements are actually very expensive. And the question arises in their minds – are all these medicines not to be taken? The market for nutraceuticals and dietary supplements is expanding in Nepal. There is a constant debate about their use, registration, quality, price, medical recommendation, and sales and distribution. This raises the main question – are nutraceuticals a real need of patients or not? What are nutra...