Flags Unregulated Sales, Heavy Discounts by E-Pharmacies
Mansoor Peer
Srinagar, May 20: Chemists across Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday observed a strike to protest against the alleged unregulated operations and predatory discounting practices of e-pharmacies, saying the growing trend poses a serious threat to public health as well as the livelihood of local chemists.
President of Jammu and Kashmir Chemists and Druggists Association (JKCDA-Kashmir Province), Arshad Hussain Bhat, said that chemists across J&K participated in the strike against online pharmacies, alleging that many such platforms operate without proper regulation, monitoring, or prescription audits.
He said the association is also protesting against heavy discounts offered by e-pharmacies, claiming that there is little transparency regarding the medicines being sold online.
“When a patient visits a medical shop, the prescription is physically checked by a qualified pharmacist. But in online pharmacies, prescriptions are often generated digitally and there is no proper prescription audit or verification,” he said.
The chemists alleged that unregulated online sale of medicines could increase the risk of spurious or unsafe drugs reaching consumers, which they said could have serious consequences for public health.
They said that although home delivery of medicines by local pharmacies began during the Covid-19 pandemic as a public convenience measure, the trend later expanded rapidly through online platforms with little oversight.
“There is no proper checking mechanism in these online pharmacies. We do not know whether qualified professionals are handling the medicines or advising patients,” the chemists said.
They further said that physical medical shops function under government registration and monitoring systems, while many online platforms allegedly bypass strict checks.
“We are here to safeguard the health of people, but online pharmacies have created confusion and concern. Consumers often don’t know what kind of medicines they are receiving,” they added.
The strike was observed under the banner of All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), which had called for a nationwide shutdown to protest against unregulated functioning of e-pharmacies and discounting practices affecting retail medicine traders across the country.
The AIOCD, one of the largest associations representing chemists and druggists in India, claims to represent nearly 12.4 lakh chemists involved in the sale and distribution of medicines nationwide.