Retail Chemists Demand Stalling E-pharma Companies

Online pharmacies are doing brisk business across the country. With more newcomers eyeing business, the sector is likely to expand, along with the home delivery facility.

However, the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) demanded that the government issue orders to stall the delivery of medicines to home immediately. In a letter written to the government authorities, the AIOCD felt that the services had been of great help during Covid-19 pandemic but now, there is no such need to the patients. There are complaints that the online pharmacies are not paying attention to the age of the customers ordering the drugs, which could lead to tragic deaths. In the wake of such a situation, the AIOCD is demanding that the Centre tighten rules for the functioning of the online pharmacies.�

There are 12.4 lakh chemists and druggists registered as members of AIOCD. According to the CRISIL report, the retail pharma market does a business of Rs 2.4 lakh crore. Of this, the unorganized section does 85 per cent of the business, while the online pharma is doing 3.5 per cent business in India. In some affluent nations, the online pharma is comprising 22.25 per cent of the overall business. In view of the immense potential, the pharma market is likely to expand more in the country.

At present, there are no rules and laws regulating and checking the e-pharma sector in the country. As the Drugs and Cosmetics regulations are not applicable for the online pharmacy section, the government is trying to replace the old Act with a new law. The Central Health and Family Welfare department had prepared a draft of the amendments to the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules 1954 Act in 2018 and even issued a notification inviting stakeholders' views on the policy. However, the Chemists association challenged the amendments in the Supreme Court. In December 2018, the court issued interim orders staying the sale of medicines online by unlicensed pharmacies.