Ahmedabad: More than 35,000 medical stores across Gujarat will remain shut on May 20 as part of a token protest against the online sale of medicines. The protest is being organised following a nationwide call by the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), which represents nearly 12.5 lakh chemists and drug distributors across the country.

Addressing media persons in Ahmedabad on Thursday, Federation of Gujarat State Chemist and Druggist Associations president Jaswant Patel alleged that online medicine sales were continuing under the cover of a temporary relaxation granted during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said the Central Government had issued a gazette notification during the pandemic permitting online delivery of medicines to avoid crowding at medical stores. However, Patel claimed that large companies were misusing the provision to continue online drug sales even after the pandemic. He added that despite repeated representations to Union ministers Mansukh Mandaviya and JP Nadda, the notification had not been withdrawn.

Patel also raised concerns over the alleged misuse of artificial intelligence and fake prescriptions to procure medicines that could be abused, including alprazolam, diazepam, clonazepam and codeine-based syrups.

He claimed that the association had ordered restricted medicines online using the names of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and President Droupadi Murmu, and that records of such transactions had been submitted before courts as evidence.

Expressing concern over the impact on small traders, Patel said online medicine platforms were offering heavy discounts at the corporate level, making it difficult for small and medium chemists to survive in the market. According to him, online pharmacies have already captured nearly 7% of the market. DeshGujarat