E-Pharmacies in India: Can they Improve the Pharmaceutical Service Delivery?

Abstract

Of late, Indian e-pharmacies, despite their emerging popularity and growing customer base, have suffered at the hands of the Indian judiciary. Although e-pharmacy constitutes only 3% of pharmaceutical sales in India, it has been subject to hostility from retail pharmacists’ associations such as All India Organization of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD). In an attempt to formalize the online sale of drugs, the Union Health Ministry has recently laid down certain guidelines that require e-pharmacies to be registered with Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), the chief licensing and regulatory authority for pharmaceutical sales in India [1]. This move was met by strong retaliation from AIOCD, which even threatened to boycott the medicines marketed by those pharma-companies that invest in e-pharmacy [2].