An article in Business Today stated:
A Frost & Sullivan report on e-pharmacies in India says the market size of e-pharmacies is estimated to be around $512 million (Rs 3,500 crore) in 2018. It predicts a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 63 per cent to reach $3.6 billion (Rs 25,000 crore) by 2022. That will be over 30 per cent of the drugs sold in India a year.
Online pharmacies were providing discounts ( sample provided below):
Considering the growth mentioned in the report following questions emerge about online pharmacies:
1. Is each and every medicine is checked for its authenticity?
2. Do they report how many fake medicines they have caught? is supplier name of those caught displayed / reported to Government / Pharma regulatory body?
3. How many Indians know that Delhi High Court has banned online sale of pharmacy?
4. Are the brand ambassadors aware about hazards involved in online pharmacy? or they are interested in fees (or brand equity)?
Little digression here but related to online pharmacies:
In fact Advertisement regulatory body in India or by Government order should ask advertisers to mention in the advertisement whether the brand ambassador has received a Brand Equity. If yes then he is responsible for the false acts committed by the Company. I don't think there is any legal precedence there / regulatory bindings on brand ambassadors. Hope some day in future brand ambassadors will be held liable.
Classic case cricketer MS Dhoni and Amrapali Develeopers.
An article Blog: Dhoni sues Amrapali -- is the pot calling the kettle black? stated:
For the record, in the Amrapali case, Dhoni’s involvement with the disgraced builder was not merely that of a brand ambassador, much as he may have claimed in media as part of his innocence act. Dhoni’s wife Sakshi was a director at Amrapali Mahi Developers Private Limited and this firm was involved in running a hospital and a charity in Dhoni's home state Jharkhand. Sakshi remained a director of this entity well after Dhoni quit as Amrapali’s brand ambassador.
The conclusion in the article is worth reading and it is reproduced below:
Dhoni’s claim in the Supreme Court is a mere legal ploy by smart lawyers to ensure he remains unaffected and unharmed in the Amrapali matter. This may not immediately benefit or enrich Dhoni but gives his legal team a tenable position vis-à-vis his erstwhile partners and friends. The home buyers have been cheated. They have no homes. They have no savings left. They have little or no hope. But Dhoni still has a potential Rs. 40 crore claim : he is a lucky captain, some say….
Readers are requested to read the excellent article Blog: Dhoni sues Amrapali -- is the pot calling the kettle black?
In fact there is no mechanism today to check whether the medicine purchased from the Medical Shop is a genuine / fake. Neither the Pharma Companies / any Government agencies help in knowing the originality of the product by SMS or phone call.
Watch below video to understand the risk involved in buying medicines from online pharmacies:
Sample list of online pharmacies:
1 Practo
2 1mg
3 NetMeds
4 BookMeds
5 Yodawy
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