Pharmacies to shut nation-wide on Oct 14

Chemists and druggists across India will go on a one-day stir on October 14 to protest against sale of medicines online.
"Around eight lakh chemists across India, 40,000 in Tamil Nadu will participate in the strike supporting the protest," Tamil Nadu Chemists and Druggists Association Secretary N Anandhan said.
Tamil Nadu Chemists and Druggists Association is affiliated to apex body All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD).
"We want to seek the central government's attention on this issue and therefore planned to go for stir", he told PTI.
Anandan said sale of medicines through online platform is not legal. By doing so, there was a possibility that anybody could buy medicines without doctor's prescription and also in large quantities, he said.

Currently for sale of medicines, "online stores attach existing pharmacies to sell. This cannot be accepted as it would lead to several problems", he said.
"If some medicine needs to be sold based on prescriptions, forged medical prescription can be uploaded just to buy them. It becomes a problem then. Therefore, we are going on a stir that day", he said.