New Delhi, Sept. 21 -- India's apex drugs regulator plans to tighten rules for doctors dispensing medicines directly to patients by setting a stock limit for registered medical practitioners (RMPs), according to two government officials and documents reviewed by Mint.

Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, the drugs controller general of India (DCGI), discussed last Friday the proposal to review the scope of Schedule K under the Drugs Rules, 1945, to plug a regulatory loophole that authorities fear could lead to commercial misuse and compromise patient safety, said the government officials on condition of anonymity.

Schedule K grants an exemption allowing RMPs to supply and dispense prescription medicines directly to their patients without obtaining...