The All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), representing nearly 12.4 lakh chemists and drug distributors across India, announced a nationwide strike on May 20 to protest against what it describes as unchecked growth and regulatory leniency towards online pharmacy platforms.
According to reports, the strike could disrupt medicine availability in several regions, especially in smaller towns and semi-urban areas that depend heavily on local pharmacies. However, the Centre maintained that the impact would likely remain limited, as several state-level pharmacy groups chose not to support the protest.
What are the chemists demanding?
Retail pharmacy associations are seeking stricter regulation of online medicine sales. They claim that many e-pharmacy platforms do not adequately verify prescriptions or maintain proper standards for medicine storage and delivery. Chemists argue that this raises concerns over drug misuse, counterfeit medicines and unsafe distribution of prescription drugs.
A key issue is the continuation of Covid-era relaxations introduced through notification G.S.R. 220(E) in 2020, which allowed easier home delivery of medicines during lockdowns. According to the AIOCD, these temporary provisions were never fully rolled back after the pandemic, giving e-pharmacies an operational advantage.
The organisation is also demanding withdrawal of the draft notification GSR 817(E) and the introduction of a comprehensive legal framework to regulate online pharmacies.
Why is GSR 817(E) controversial?
The draft notification GSR 817(E) proposed a regulatory structure for e-pharmacies, including mandatory registration, prescription verification, operational guidelines and penalties for violations.
However, the draft has neither been formally implemented nor withdrawn. Chemist bodies argue that the prolonged delay has created a grey area that allows online pharmacies to function without a clearly defined legal system, despite years of discussions and government consultations.
Concerns over pricing and competition
Traditional pharmacists say online medicine platforms are engaging in aggressive discounting and predatory pricing, with discounts reportedly reaching up to 50 per cent. They argue that such pricing models, supported by large corporate investments, are hurting small neighbourhood pharmacies that cannot compete at the same scale.
Pharmacist associations have also alleged that some online platforms dispense medicines based on fake, weakly verified, or invalid prescriptions, including those issued by unregistered practitioners.
Government’s response
Representatives of the AIOCD recently met officials of the central drug regulator to raise concerns about online medicine sales. Officials reportedly assured them that the matter is being examined and remains under review by the health ministry.
Despite these assurances, pharmacy groups remain dissatisfied, saying discussions on regulating e-pharmacies have continued for years without concrete action.
Meanwhile, pharmacy associations in at least 12 states and Union Territories including West Bengal, Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh reportedly decided not to join the strike, citing public interest and the need to ensure uninterrupted medicine access.
As a result, the protest appeared to lose momentum, with expectations of only limited disruption to medicine supplies on May 20.