India's chemists to shut shops on May 20? AIOCD calls nationwide strike over e-pharmacy and pricing concerns

The All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), representing over 12.40 lakh chemists and drug distributors across the country, has announced a nationwide one-day shutdown on May 20, 2026. This is being done in protest against the apparent lack of any action by the regulators concerning important issues in the pharmacy retail industry, public health and the welfare of small chemists.

According to reports, in their memorandum to the Prime Minister, they said that even after making several representations on important challenges related to the business of drugs, no action had been taken. As a result, widespread resentment has built up among chemists across urban and rural India.

Key issues raised by the chemist organisation

1) Concerns over e-pharmacy regulation

The association has raised strong objections to what it calls the unregulated operations of online pharmacy platforms. The argument made is that the failure of strict adherence to existing policies has allowed for the frequent prescription of medications and the sale of medicines over the internet without physical verification.

AIOCD also warned that the misuse of digital platforms, including AI-generated or fraudulent prescriptions, could lead to increased availability of antibiotics and habit-forming drugs. This, it says, poses a serious risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and public health safety.

2) Predatory pricing by corporate players

The organisation has alleged the involvement of big corporates and digital mediums in practising deep discounting practices. As per the allegations made by AIOCD, such practices have an impact on government-controlled margins under NPPA/DPCO guidelines and are endangering the lives of independent chemists, especially in semi-urban and rural areas.

It further argued that if left unchecked, such practices can jeopardise the chain of traditional medicine distribution which will, in turn, create an adverse impact on the availability of life-saving drugs and livelihood of around 5 crore people dependent upon the profession.

3) Extension of emergency COVID-era notifications

AIOCD has also raised concerns regarding the continued enforcement of certain COVID-era regulatory provisions, particularly G.S.R. 220(E), issued in March 2020. The body argues that these temporary relaxations were intended as emergency measures and are no longer justified. It claims their continuation weakens existing drug regulatory safeguards.

Demands put forward by the chemist body

The organisation has urged the government to:

• Immediately withdraw G.S.R. 220(E) related to COVID-era emergency provisions
• Revoke G.S.R. 817(E) related to e-pharmacy regulations
• Introduce a uniform “level playing field” policy to curb deep discounting practices by corporates and online platforms

Warning of further action

AIOCD President JS Shinde and General Secretary Rajiv Singhal jointly stated that the strike is being organised in the interest of both chemists and patient safety. They cautioned that if the government fails to act on their demands, the organisation may be compelled to launch an indefinite nationwide agitation.

The planned shutdown is expected to involve participation from chemists across India, potentially impacting retail medicine availability for a day, as stakeholders intensify their opposition to current regulatory frameworks governing the pharmaceutical retail sector.