New Delhi

All major pharmacy chains, hospital-attached medical stores, Jan Aushadhi Kendras, and AMRIT Pharmacy outlets across the country will remain open on Wednesday, May 20, despite a nationwide shutdown call given by the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) against e-pharmacies, sources said on Tuesday.

This development comes after representatives of the AIOCD met the national drug regulator to present their grievances regarding the sector.

Following the meeting, they were assured that the issues raised by the associations are under active review and that the regulatory framework governing the sector is being thoroughly examined to address the legitimate concerns of retail pharmacy stakeholders.

Sources further emphasised that any disruption in the functioning of chemist shops could cause serious inconvenience to patients, particularly to vulnerable groups, who are dependent on regular access to life-saving and essential medicines for their survival.

Recognising the critical impact on public health, several retail pharmacy associations reviewed the situation and expressed satisfaction over the regulator's constructive response. In view of the ongoing review process and the immediate need to safeguard patient welfare, these bodies have categorically declined to support the proposed bandh.

Consequently, retail pharmacy associations from 12 states and Union Territories, such as West Bengal, Kerala, Punjab, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Ladakh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Sikkim, and Uttarakhand, have voluntarily submitted written assurances confirming they will not participate in the strike.

Earlier, the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), the apex body representing over 12.40 lakh chemists and drug distributors across the country, announced a one-day nationwide shutdown on May 20.

The strike is intended to protest against the alleged unregulated functioning of online pharmacies and their predatory pricing practices.

In its official release, the AIOCD alleged that e-pharmacy platforms are actively exploiting regulatory relaxations to sell medicines without physical prescription verification, leading to the hazardous re-use of old prescriptions.

The apex trade body further warned that the generation of artificial intelligence (AI)-based fake prescriptions is fueling the uncontrolled availability of antibiotics and habit-forming drugs, posing a critical public health threat by accelerating antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Raising concerns over market stability, the organisation accused large corporate entities of creating highly unfair competition through deep discounting. The AIOCD pointed out that while profit margins on essential medicines remain strictly regulated and fixed by the government under NPPA and DPCO norms, corporate e-pharmacy platforms are disrupting the market balance.

This practice, it claimed, directly threatens the survival of small, independent chemists in rural and semi-urban areas, which could ultimately dismantle India's accessible medicine supply network.

The trade body also targeted a pandemic-era emergency notification issued on March 26, 2020, asserting that continuing this temporary relaxation today is completely irrational, as the rule significantly weakens the strict statutory safeguards enshrined under Drug Rule 65, which enables digital platforms to easily bypass essential regulatory checks.

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Hence, the AIOCD called for the immediate withdrawal of both the temporary COVID-period notification G.S.R. 220(E) and the e-pharmacy framework notification G.S.R. 817(E). The apex body urged the government to implement a comprehensive "level playing field" policy to permanently halt predatory corporate deep discounting and safeguard patient welfare.