Chemists’ strike on Oct 14 against online pharmacy

Check the stock of your regular medicines as the chemist shops across the city will remain close on Wednesday in support of the nationwide call for bandh given by the All India Chemists and Druggist Organisation (AICDO) against online pharmacy. Office bearers of the association distributed pamphlets on Sunday among medical stores stating why online pharmacy is perilous to the patients as well as to the trade.

Check the stock of your regular medicines as the chemist shops across the city will remain closed on Wednesday in support of the nationwide call for bandh given by the All India Chemists and Druggist Organisation (AICDO) against online pharmacy.

Office-bearers of the association distributed pamphlets on Sunday among medical store owners, stating why online pharmacy was perilous for patients as well as the trade.

“Permission for online trade of medicines will make around 40 lakh staff at medical stores unemployed and at least 8 lakh medical stores across the country will close down as business at these stores will go down drastically,” said Giriraj Rastogi, patron of the AICDO’s Uttar Pradesh chapter.

Buying online drugs, he said, was illegal and risky as it could promote irrational use of drugs that triggered sedative impact. “Online drug delivery is illegal trade as it is not permitted under Drug and Cosmetics Act. Secondly, drugs that give sedative impact will be used by addicts unchecked,” said Suresh Gupta, general secretary of AICDO.

Explaining further, he said one could order any medicine on the basis of a prescription scanned and sent to online firms. This prescription could be genuine or fake but would fetch sedative drugs which otherwise were sold only against a photocopy of the original prescription. The AICDO has given call for a nationwide bandh on October 14 against sale of drugs online and has threatened to go on indefinite strike later on.