Over 70% of medical shops remained closed in A.P. in protest against e-pharmacies

Key points

• Chemists in major cities in Andhra Pradesh, including Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Nellore and Tirupati, downed shutters on Wednesday (May 20, 2026) in a one-day bandh called by the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) against the growing sale of medicines through online pharmacies, which they allege allow people to buy drugs without a prescription.
• According to information from the associations, more than 70% of the medical shops in the State remained closed on Wednesday.
• In a release, the A.P.
• Chemists and Druggists Association claimed e-pharmacies and deep discounting have put livelihoods of 50 million people at risk.
• Large corporate entities are threatening the survival of small chemists in rural and semi-urban areas, which will destroy accessible medicine supply system, the alleged.