The All India Organization of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) has expressed serious concerns over the possible collaboration between Swiggy’s grocery arm Instamart and e-pharmacy giant PharmEasy, which aims to deliver medicines within 10 minutes via dark stores.

In a letter to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), the AIOCD warned that the express delivery model could potentially violate Indian drug regulations and pose health and safety risks to the public.

AIOCD President JS Shinde and Secretary General Rajiv Singhal listed key issues with the partnership, stating that the model could bypass basic regulatory controls required for patient safety. They emphasized that drug distribution in India involves strict protocols such as prescription verification and patient identification to prevent harm to consumers. They expressed concern that these security measures could be compromised due to the ultra-fast delivery timeline.

“This partnership is likely to ignore important standards such as prescription checking and patient identification, which could endanger the health of ordinary citizens,” the association said.

The association also highlighted the broader impacts of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a growing public health problem in the country. According to AIOCD, “unregulated” operations of e-pharmacies such as PharmEasy could undermine government efforts to combat AMR and potentially worsen the problem through uncontrolled distribution of antibiotics.

Additionally, AIOCD questioned the reputational and legal risks associated with PharmEasy, which has faced regulatory scrutiny in the past. They argued that the partnership with Swiggy could leave both companies facing further legal complications.

Another concern was that there was a possible compromise in drug quality under the express delivery model, which could increase the risk of distributing expired or counterfeit drugs. AIOCD emphasized that ensuring high-quality and safe drug delivery in such a short period of time may be difficult and may not comply with industry standards.

“The ultra-fast delivery model may increase the likelihood of expired or counterfeit medicines, which may harm patient safety. It is not possible to follow the required quality standards in such a model,” the association said. he said.

AIOCD has called on the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) to comprehensively review this partnership and underline their commitment to the role of conventional chemists in the safe distribution of medicines. The association stated that it will continue to oppose any initiative that could endanger public health and safety.