NEW DELHI, May 12 (ANI) — The entity[“organization”,”All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists”,”India”], representing more than 1.24 million chemists and drug distributors across India, has announced a one-day nationwide shutdown on May 20, 2026, citing government inaction on issues affecting the pharmaceutical trade.
In a memorandum submitted to Prime Minister entity[“politician”,”Narendra Modi”,”Prime Minister of India”], the organization said repeated appeals regarding challenges faced by the sector had failed to produce concrete action, leading to growing dissatisfaction among chemists nationwide.
The organization alleged that e-pharmacy platforms are exploiting regulatory relaxations, while illegal online pharmacies and deep discounting practices are threatening the livelihoods of nearly 50 million people dependent on the sector.
According to the AIOCD, the sale of medicines without physical verification has enabled repeated use of the same prescriptions. The group also warned that AI-generated fake prescriptions and unrestricted access to antibiotics and habit-forming drugs are contributing to serious public health concerns, including antimicrobial resistance.
The organization said large corporate entities are disrupting the pharmaceutical market through aggressive discounting practices. While profit margins on essential medicines are regulated by the government under the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority and the Drug Price Control Order framework, the AIOCD argued that such pricing practices are creating unfair competition.
The group warned that small chemists in rural and semi-urban areas are particularly vulnerable, potentially undermining the country’s accessible medicine distribution network.
The AIOCD also objected to a temporary notification issued during the COVID-19 pandemic on March 26, 2020, arguing that its continued implementation weakens the provisions of Drug Rule 65 and allows digital platforms to bypass regulatory safeguards.
The organization demanded the immediate withdrawal of the COVID-era notification G.S.R. 220(E) and the e-pharmacy-related notification G.S.R. 817(E). It also called for a “level playing field” policy to address what it described as unfair deep discounting by corporate entities.
AIOCD President entity[“people”,”J. S. Shinde”,”President of All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists”] and General Secretary entity[“people”,”Rajiv Singhal”,”General Secretary of All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists”] said in a joint statement, “This is not merely a matter of trade, but of patient safety. If the Government does not take any concrete decision on these demands by May 20, we will be compelled to launch an indefinite agitation.” (ANI)
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