Telangana pharmacies reopen after one-day strike against online medicine sales

Medical shops across Telangana, including in Hyderabad, resumed normal operations on Thursday, May 21, a day after thousands of pharmacies observed a one-day shutdown protesting against e-pharmacies and alleged irregularities in online medicine sales.

According to the Telangana Chemists and Druggists Association, around 45,000 pharmacies across the state participated in the strike on Wednesday, including nearly 20,000 medical shops in Hyderabad.

T. Krishna Kumar, Treasurer of the association, said the shutdown received a strong response from pharmacists across the state. “We are now waiting for a response from the central government. If there is no response, then similar shutdowns will continue until our demands are fulfilled,” he said.

The strike was called by the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), which has been raising concerns over the growing presence of online pharmacies and corporate medicine retail chains.

Pharmacists allege that several e-pharmacies and quick-commerce medicine delivery platforms are functioning with inadequate prescription verification mechanisms and weak regulatory oversight. They have also objected to heavy discounting practices adopted by online platforms, claiming that such measures are affecting the survival of small and independent medical shops.