E-commerce in pharmaceuticals likely to increase, change industry

E-commerce in pharmaceuticals will accelerate soon and become an important distribution channel for the sector as it develops, experts said.

As "conditions of the sector mature, we believe e-commerce is likely to become the next major theme of pharmaceutical distribution and may have a profound impact on the entire pharmaceutical industry chain," Ji Xuwo, a Beijing-based healthcare analyst at UBS Securities, said.

The State Food and Drug Administration said in a statement on Wednesday that online drug operators can sell drugs by prescription.