TN pharmacists flag steep discounts on medicines, unrestricted sale of drugs online

This kind of aggressive marketing strategy is creating an environment where quality is being compromised and spurious drugs get sold in the pursuit of attracting customers, they said. This can also impact the storage and inventory quality of medicines, a leading chemist and druggist association pointed out.

The Tamil Nadu Chemists and Druggists Association (TNCDA) has urged the Chief Minister and health officials to ensure strict enforcement of margins stipulated under the Drugs Price Control Order (DPCO). They have also demanded that discount boards displayed in pharmacies across the state be removed.

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Online sale of drugs

The association has also raised the long-standing issue of the online sale of drugs at discounted prices as it remains unrestricted and unregulated.

Chemists in the state said that the pricing of medicines is designed by DPCO to guarantee both the quality of drugs and their availability to consumers at fair and reasonable prices. However, the proliferation of deep discounts displayed on boards at pharmacies and the unrestricted sales of prescription drugs online, are creating an environment where quality is being compromised in the pursuit of attracting customers.

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Discount trend

The discounts range from 20 per cent to 80 per cent, and also involve customers becoming members at the pharmacies.

TNCDA president S A Ramesh stated that this trend among some retail pharmacies threatens to undermine the core objectives of the Drugs Control Act.

Urging the Chief Minister to intervene immediately, Ramesh highlighted that since deep discounts often erode the already thin margins of retailers, it potentially impacts their ability to maintain optimal storage conditions and inventory quality, also leading to unhealthy competition.

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Counterfeit or substandard products

"The emphasis shifts from ensuring the integrity and efficacy of medications to a race to the bottom in pricing, ultimately jeopardising consumer safety. The pressure to offer deep discounts can incentivise retailers to procure drugs from questionable sources in order to maintain competitiveness. This creates an environment where counterfeit or substandard products can infiltrate the supply chain, posing a significant risk to public health," the letter to the Chief Minister stated.

Tamil Nadu druggists are also concerned about the increasing prevalence of online pharmacies that operate without proper regulations and offer substantial discounts. The lack of regulation creates opportunities for the sale of spurious or adulterated drugs, as well providing prescription medications without valid prescriptions and pharmacist supervision.

Mannargudi Ramachandran, chairman of the Tamil Nadu Pharma Traders Association said that they want government to intervene to ensure the quality standards of drugs are maintained without any retailer being forced to compromise due to pricing pressures.

"It is a risk to public health if the consumers are misled by similar drugs and wooed by discounts. We need to educate consumers about the risks associated with purchasing drugs from unauthorised sources or those offering unreasonably deep discounts. These concerns should be highlighted to the Union health ministry as well," said Ramachandran.