Traditional medical shops demand better regulation of online pharmacies

Raising objections over how online pharmacies are allowed to function without regulation and their possible negative impact, ‘brick-and-mortar’ medical shops in Hyderabad and throughout the country are holding a nationwide strike in the coming days

Hyderabad: While people in Hyderabad and elsewhere, in the past three to four years, have developed a degree of comfort with the practice of ordering medicines online, the traditional stand-alone medical shops are now at loggerheads with online pharmacies, for their survival.

Raising objections over how online pharmacies are allowed to function without regulation and their possible negative impact, ‘brick-and-mortar’ medical shops in Hyderabad and throughout the country are holding a nationwide strike in the coming days.

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Once unchallenged, neighborhood medical shops, owned and run by individuals, are now finding themselves caught between a rock and a hard place. On one side, they compete with chains of pharmacy outlets, which have access to unlimited financial resources. On the other side, they face competition from online pharmacies that have mushroomed post-Covid pandemic.

“There is no denying that standalone medical shops in Hyderabad and even in other parts of the country are under severe financial strain. The major concern is predatory pricing of online pharmacies, heavy discounts and bulk sales. There is also a question of regulation of online pharmacies. Who and how are they being regulated?,” asks president, Telangana Chemists and Druggists Association president, R Srinivas.

A few days ago, the All India Organization of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), which represents 10 to 12 lakh pharmacies in the Country, announced its decision to conduct a one-day nationwide strike.

The AIOCD has raised questions over lack of proper monitoring of online pharmacies and quality of drugs, patient safety and antimicrobial resistance due to no regulation.

At present, there is no regulatory mechanism over online pharmacies, as the Centre is yet to frame proper guidelines, an argument that is frequently put forward by AIOCD. The chemists and druggists association have also raised the issue of easy availability of antibiotics without proper checks, which is a serious issue.

Sector experts familiar with online pharmacies, however, have maintained that online pharmacies have come a long way in strengthening their systems. “Almost all the online pharmacies now have their own panel of doctors/pharmacists who go through the prescriptions that are uploaded by customers on their websites,” they said.

The chemists and druggists association members have called for better regulation. “Just like individual medical shops are regulated, there is also a need to have regulation over digital online drug stores,” the senior official from Telangana Chemists association said.