 The All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take immediate and decisive action against the operations of illegal e-pharmacies across the country.
Representing over 13 lakh licensed brick-and-mortar pharmacies spread across the country, the AIOCD’s appeal underscores a growing sense of urgency regarding public health, drug safety, and regulatory integrity. The organization warned that the unchecked growth of these platforms without a robust legal framework could lead to catastrophic consequences for India’s 140 crore citizens.
This appeal directly follows a high-level initiative by the Tamil Nadu Chemists and Druggists Association (TNCDA), which recently petitioned the President of the United States for a global mandate to end the online sale of medicines. The TNCDA’s request was catalyzed by ‘Operation Meltdown’, a massive US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) crackdown that shuttered over 200 illegal online pharmacy domains tied to a transnational criminal organization based in India.
In its correspondence with the Prime Minister, the AIOCD highlighted that the recent US action serves as a stark warning that illegal e-pharmacies are a serious criminal and public health hazard rather than a mere trade issue. The organization emphasized that if such large-scale criminal misuse can occur in a country with the stringent laws of the United States, the magnitude of danger in India is deeply alarming. They argued that the current regulatory vacuum allows these platforms to operate in complete violation of the spirit of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
Central to the AIOCD’s demands is the immediate withdrawal of government notifications GSR 220(E) and GSR 817(E). The group argues that these notifications, originally issued as temporary or emergency measures, are now being blatantly exploited by illegal e-pharmacy operators to justify unregulated activities. They claim these loopholes facilitate the circulation of spurious, sub-standard, and misbranded drugs, as well as the violation of essential cold-chain requirements for critical medicines.
The national trade body further emphasized the grave risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a concern that was central to their formal appeal sent to the prime minister just last month. This previous representation echoed the prime minister's own ‘Mann Ki Baat’ address, which highlighted how the indiscriminate consumption of antibiotics is a principal cause of this escalating health challenge. Citing Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) findings, the organization warned in that letter that the unchecked sale of antibiotics through e-pharmacies is accelerating the ineffectiveness of treatments for common infections like pneumonia.
The association noted that the Delhi High Court has already observed e-pharmacies to be illegal, yet enforcement remains inadequate. They argue that the current modus operandi of these entities primarily drives self-medication and drug abuse, especially among the youth.
In a final plea for intervention, the AIOCD called for the immediate closure of all illegally operating e-pharmacies to prevent India from becoming a global hub for pharmaceutical trafficking. They urged the prime minister to act decisively by revoking GSR 220(E) and GSR 817(E) to protect the nation’s healthcare system before irreversible damage is done.
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