All India organisation of chemists and druggists (AIOCD), the apex body representing 12.4 lakh chemists and drug distributors across the country, has announced a one-day nationwide shutdown on May 20. The protest is aimed at what the organisation considers "unregulated functioning of online pharmacies and predatory pricing" of medicines, which it says has been enabled by the continued regulatory relaxations given to e-pharmacy platforms during the Covid pandemic.

The organisation alleges that the e-pharmacies are taking advantage of regulatory relaxation. “Sale of medicines without physical verification is leading to repeated use of the same prescription. Through AI-based fake prescriptions, uncontrolled availability of antibiotics and habit-forming drugs is giving rise to major threats such as antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This is a direct compromise with public health”, J. S. Shinde, president, AIOCD says.

The organisation states that the government notification issued during the coronavirus pandemic (on March 26, 2020) was a temporary measure and has no rationale to continue today. The rule is weakening the strict provisions of relating to medical sales and digital platforms are taking advantage of it to violate regulatory safeguards, the trade body alleges.

Similarly, the organisation alleges that large corporate entities are disturbing market balance through deep discounting. “While margins on essential medicines are fixed by the national pharmaceutical pricing authority, these entities are creating unfair competition. This is threatening the survival of small chemists in rural and semi-urban areas, which will ultimately destroy the accessible medicine supply system”, says Rajiv Singhal, general secretary, AIOCD.

AIOCD wants the Covid-era notification G.S.R. 220(E) that allowed doorstep delivery of medicines to be withdrawn with immediate effect. It also wants the government notification G.S.R. 817(E) to facilitate and regularise e-pharmacy trade to be withdrawn. The third demand of AIOCD is to introduce a policy that offers a ‘"level playing field" to existing medical shops to stop "unfair deep discounting by corporates".

In a memorandum submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the organisation said that despite repeated requests, no concrete action has been taken on the serious issues affecting the pharmaceutical trade, resulting in deep resentment among chemists across the country.

“If the government does not take any concrete decision on these demands by 20 May, we will be compelled to launch an indefinite agitation”, AIOCD leaders said in a joint statement.