E-Pharmacy Threat Growing Unchecked: AIOCD Flags Regulatory Failure, Calls for Urgent CDSCO Action
New Delhi: The All-India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) has raised serious concerns over the illegal sale of prescription medicines by online pharmacies. In a letter to the Health Ministry and during a meeting with the Drug Controller General of India(DCGI), AIOCD demanded urgent regulatory action, warning that the unchecked operations of e-pharmacies pose a major threat to public health.
AIOCD, representing over 9 lakh chemists across India, has expressed grave concern over the illegal and unregulated operation of online pharmacy platforms, which continue to sell medicines in violation of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940, posing a serious threat to public health.
J S Shinde, President, and Rajiv Singhal, General Secretary, informed that in a formal communication addressed to the Hon’ble Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel Ji, AIOCD has highlighted the continued inaction by State Licensing Authorities (SLAs), despite repeated complaints being forwarded to them by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). While the Minister’s reply in the Rajya Sabha on 22nd July 2025 stated that complaints regarding unauthorized sale of medicines are referred to SLAs, AIOCD informed that no visible or effective action has been taken by any SLA across the country.
To escalate this matter further, a high-level delegation of AIOCD met with the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), Dr Rajeev Raghuvanshi, on 21st July 2025, and urged him to take the following urgent actions:
1. Immediate crackdown on all illegal e-pharmacies operating without any valid license or oversight, including the Quick Commerce Players.
2. Withdrawal of GSR 220(E), which was issued during the COVID-19 epidemic but is now being misused by these platforms to justify unlawful activities.
3. Withdrawal of GSR 817(E), the draft regulation issued in August 2018, which has remained in draft form for over eight years, enabling misuse due to lack of legal clarity.
AIOCD has repeatedly submitted that GSR 817(E) is outdated and has failed to address the ground realities of digital drug distribution. Hundreds of representations and objections from stakeholders, including AIOCD, have been ignored. In the absence of final regulation, e-pharmacy platforms continue to sell:
1. Habit-forming and psychotropic drugs without prescription.
2. Schedule H, H1, and X medicines in violation of the law.
3. Untraceable, diverted, and unlicensed stock.
Medicines without any quality assurance or physical verification.
J S Shinde and Rajiv Singhal highlighted that the loosely drafted definition of ‘Manufacturer’ is the root cause of the issue and emphasized the need for a holistic and comprehensive approach involving all concerned departments. AIOCD also expressed its readiness to provide suitable amendments to the Act, Rules, and relevant Orders.
AIOCD reiterated that medicines are not ordinary consumer goods, and their sale and distribution must not be left to automated platforms or unauthorized logistics chains. Continued inaction will lead to a public health disaster of irreversible scale. In light of these alarming developments, AIOCD demands:
1. Immediate withdrawal of GSR 817(E) and GSR 220(E) to prevent further legal misuse.
2. Centralized enforcement action by CDSCO against all illegal online pharmacies.
3. Action of all illegal e-pharmacies on government directives must be initiated immediately by State SLAs.
AIOCD seeks to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to take urgent action in the interest of safeguarding public health and restoring trust in India’s pharmaceutical regulatory system.
