Online Prescription Drug Sales in Russia to Use Biometric Verification
Russian citizens will soon be able to purchase prescription medications online using biometric verification. The process will utilize data from the Unified Biometric System (UBS). Buyers will confirm their right to receive medication when placing an order, and couriers will verify the recipient’s identity using facial recognition.
The Center for Biometric Technologies (CBT)—a joint venture of Rostelecom, the Central Bank, and the Federal Agency for State Property Management—explained that any device with a camera capable of providing sufficient data protection can be used for identity confirmation. It is expected that biometric verification will be used both to place an order and to receive it from the courier. The Ministry of Digital Development noted that, under the law on biometrics, identity confirmation using UBS data is equivalent to presenting a passport.
CBT’s press service emphasized that all legal conditions for the pilot project have been established. However, technical upgrades are still required from pharmacy organizations, according to the Ministry of Digital Development. Specifically, integration with the UBS, the Unified State Health Information System (USHIS), and the Unified Identification and Authentication System (UIAS) is necessary.
CBT clarified that the experiment does not include biometric purchases during in-person pharmacy visits, but this option may become available in the future.
Pilot Project and Current Regulations
In March 2023, a pilot project for remote sales of prescription drugs began in Moscow, the Moscow region, and the Belgorod region. Only medications from the Ministry of Health’s approved list are eligible for delivery; potent, psychotropic, and narcotic substances are excluded.
The Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare (Roszdravnadzor) has issued licenses for this activity to 15 pharmacy chains. To place an online order, customers must obtain an electronic prescription from a doctor, confirm it on the pharmacy’s website, or activate it through the “EMIAS.INFO” app and select a seller. After placing the order, a QR code is generated and displayed in the app; this code, along with a passport, must be shown to the courier upon delivery.
The Ministry of Health reported that the number of medications sold this way is steadily increasing: at the start of the experiment, monthly sales growth was just over 50%, rising to 80% by fall. According to Artyom Sokolov, President of the Association of Internet Trade Companies, many pharmaceutical market participants currently sell only a few prescription drugs remotely.
Benefits and Future Prospects
CBT believes that using biometrics will optimize and further simplify the process of buying prescription drugs online. Sokolov noted that for more pharmacy chains to actively participate in the experiment, it is necessary to expand the list of participating regions and establish unified federal requirements for the project’s implementation.