More than 15 lakh chemists and druggists across India will keep their medical stores shut today as part of a nationwide strike called by the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) against the online sale of medicines and what it described as unprofessional competition from large corporate firms, according to a report by PTI. 

Addressing a press conference in Thane on Monday, AIOCD president and former MLC Jagannath Shinde said the bandh had been organised to demand the withdrawal of notifications issued during the COVID-19 pandemic that allegedly enabled misuse of online medicine sales.

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“Medical shops attached to hospitals would remain open during the bandh and emergency medicine services would not be disrupted,” he said.

Fake drugs and unregulated sales

Shinde claimed that the growth of online medicine sales had led to the circulation of fake drugs, antibiotics and scheduled medicines without prescriptions, creating what he described as a serious public health concern.

“The online sale of drugs has become hazardous for the nation and needs to be checked on priority. Moreover, deep discounts offered by online companies were proving to be a death knell for small chemists and retailers,” he alleged.

According to the organisation, special exemptions introduced by the Centre during the coronavirus pandemic to ensure home delivery of medicines were still continuing several years after the pandemic had ended.

Unfair competition

Shinde alleged that online companies were exploiting the relaxations and engaging in unfair competition by offering discounts ranging from 20 to 50 per cent.

The AIOCD said such pricing practices were hurting small retailers and independent chemists across the country.

Vilas Joshi, president of the Thane Chemists and Druggists Association, along with other office bearers, was also present at the press conference.

Published on: May 20, 2026 7:00 AM IST