The Telangana Drugs Control Administration (DCA) has issued show-cause notices to 41 medical shops associated with online pharmacies following a special statewide enforcement drive that uncovered multiple regulatory breaches.
Details of the Inspections
During the inspections, DCA officials examined 166 medical shops connected to online pharmacy operations across Telangana. Among these, 159 were linked to online medicine delivery services, including licensed premises of online pharmacy operators and their partner pharmacies. The remaining seven shops were associated with online B2B platforms such as IndiaMART.
Violations Detected
The DCA reported several irregularities during the inspections. These included failure to maintain or produce medicine sales bills, non-maintenance of prescription drug and Schedule H1 drug registers, inability to furnish purchase invoices, dispensing prescription medicines without valid prescriptions from registered medical practitioners, sale of medicines without the supervision of registered pharmacists, and improper maintenance of sales and purchase records.
Enforcement Action
Following the inspections, show-cause notices were served to 41 medical shops. The DCA stated that further action would be initiated under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and related rules. Officials reiterated that strict adherence to statutory requirements is mandatory for all medical shops, including those associated with online platforms, and warned that violations would invite stringent action.
