Chemists Call for Fair Play as Online Pharma Sales Spark Concerns

At a gathering in Tirupati on Sunday, the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) laid out a list of grievances that have been simmering for months. President J.S. Shinde, speaking to the sixth national‑level executive committee, warned that the pharmaceutical market is tilting dangerously in favour of a handful of quick‑commerce and e‑commerce platforms.

Those platforms, he said, are allegedly stretching the Gazette Notification that authorised doorstep delivery of medicines during the COVID‑19 emergency. What began as a temporary lifeline, they argue, has become a loophole that lets big online players skirt the rules that protect local chemists.

“We have already raised these concerns with the concerned ministers and with the Union Health Ministry,” Shinde said, his tone a mix of frustration and resolve. “Yet the corrective measures promised so far remain just that – promises.”

The association also flagged predatory pricing tactics that drive down drug prices to unsustainable levels, squeezing the margins of neighbourhood chemists who can’t afford to compete with the deep‑discount algorithms of online giants. Coupled with the unregulated expansion of internet‑based pharmacies, the AIOCD fears a wholesale erosion of the traditional retail network.

In a bid to make their voice heard, the chemists’ body says it has already sent representations to Members of Parliament across the country, the Prime Minister, the Union Health Minister and other relevant authorities. Two months ago they even organised a nationwide bandh, hoping the strike would highlight how the current trajectory threatens both livelihoods and public health.

Despite these repeated appeals, the AIOCD claims the government has yet to “wake up” to the reality on the ground. The committee concluded the meeting by reiterating its demand for a transparent, level‑playing field that safeguards small‑scale dealers while still allowing responsible digital innovation.