 The All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) has formally alerted the government of India regarding the dangerous rise of artificial intelligence (AI) being used to manufacture fraudulent medical prescriptions.
This technological exploitation is reportedly allowing for the widespread illegal procurement of restricted medications across the country.
AIOCD president J S Shinde and general secretary Rajiv Singhal have expressed serious concern following investigations that reveal how AI-generated documents, often featuring fictitious hospital names and fabricated details, are being accepted by various online platforms. These fake prescriptions enable the unlawful sale of high-risk substances, including antibiotics, opioids, and psychotropic drugs.
The organization highlights that illegal e-pharmacies are currently operating under the cover of Government Notifications GSR 817(E) and GSR 220(E). According to J S Shinde, these specific regulations are being treated as loopholes to bypass the stringent verification requirements mandated by the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
A major point of contention raised by the AIOCD is the lack of human oversight inherent in digital dispensing platforms. Unlike traditional brick-and-mortar pharmacies, which rely on physical verification and pharmacist discretion to spot forgeries, online systems are often unable to distinguish between genuine medical orders and AI-generated fakes.
In a direct appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rajiv Singhal emphasized that the continued existence of these regulatory notifications renders law enforcement efforts against illegal e-pharmacies largely ineffective. The AIOCD argues that the current digital landscape is being actively enabled and amplified by these unregulated platforms.
To combat this crisis, the AIOCD has officially requested the immediate withdrawal of GSR 817(E) and GSR 220(E). Furthermore, they are demanding the immediate shutdown of illegal e-pharmacy platforms through the blocking of websites and digital payment gateways to sever their financial lifelines.
The leadership, including Shinde and Singhal, is also calling for a nationwide ban on the use of AI for generating medical documents, urging the government to declare such prescriptions invalid. They maintain that protecting law-abiding offline chemists from systemic technological failures is essential to restoring the integrity of India’s drug regulatory system.
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