Tmall vendors to halt drug sales online

A logo of Tmall.com seen on a street in Beijing, June 1, 2016. [Photo/IC]

Alibaba has told vendors on its online marketplace Tmall.com to stop selling medicine starting from Aug 1, in accordance with policy requirements from regulators, the Beijing Times reported.

A notice on the website of the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) urged the halt of drug sales via third-party platforms. CFDA said it sent directives to branches in Hebei, Shanghai, and Guangdong, to stop the drug sales on marketplace websites.

Tmall said its decision was based on the requirement from the CDFA's Hebei province branch.

CFDA said the halt was due to management loopholes it had found, such as the lack of clearly defined accountability between third-party platforms and pharmacies, and difficulties to supervise the prescription drug and ensure quality.

It also said the decision will not affect pharmacies or drugmakers who were licensed to directly sell to costumers online.

Tmall.com launched its online drugstore in 2011 and later bought a medicinal information platform. The B2C platform of Alibaba provided information about medicines and medical equipment too.