Chemists across Assam protest against unregulated e-pharmacy, pricing practices

way2barak May 21: Shops selling medicines across Assam downed shutters on Wednesday as chemists and drug distributors joined the nationwide bandh call given by the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists, intensifying protests against unregulated e-pharmacy operations and alleged predatory pricing practices in the pharmaceutical sector.

The protesting associations accused online pharmacy platforms of operating without adequate regulatory oversight, warning that the unchecked sale of medicines online had led to repeated use of prescriptions, circulation of fake or unverifiable prescriptions and easy access to antibiotics and habit-forming drugs. They cautioned that such practices could aggravate antimicrobial resistance and increase the risk of counterfeit or improperly stored medicines entering the supply chain.

The traders also demanded the immediate withdrawal of Central notifications GSR 220(E) of 2020 and GSR 817(E) of 2018, alleging that the measures had diluted long-standing safeguards governing prescription drug sales. They further alleged that deep discounting by large corporations was destabilising small chemists and encouraging monopolistic trends in the healthcare sector.