The Pharmacy (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which was tabled on August 3 was approved by the Lok Sabha on August 7. The Pharmacy Act of 1948, which governs the practice and profession of pharmacy, is amended by the bill.

Pharmacy practice in India requires registration under the Pharmacy Act, 1948. The Jammu and Kashmir Pharmacy Act of 2011 offers a particular provision relating to anyone registered or qualified under its provisions. The Bill examines the insertion of new section 32C, which makes this distinction.

The bill states that anyone who is registered as a pharmacist under the Pharmacy Act of 1948 and meets the requirements set forth in the Pharmacy Act of Jammu and Kashmir, 2011, or who possesses such qualifications, will be assumed to have such registration. This is based on the individual filing a registration application within a year of the amendment taking effect and paying the required fee.

Mansukh Mandaviya, the Union Health Minister, stated that India takes drug security very seriously when discussing the Bill. “We are the global pharmacy, and we would like to provide our people with the cheap and high-quality medications that we provide to the rest of the globe. We are dedicated to this effort,” he said.