In these tough times, going to a chemist is something that requires quite a decision and if the medicine you are looking for, is unavailable, life seems like a struggle. This is where online pharmacies come into a bigger picture. We just have to place an order of the required medicines and it would be delivered to us on the same day ( in 75 per cent of the cases). That’s why the future of online pharmacy is huge in India. There couldn’t be anything worse than Covid 19 in recent times but it’s a blessing in disguise for the online pharmacies to make their business go “Kaboom”.
As per records, there are 8 lakh pharmacies registered in India. 90 per cent of the country’s population is accustomed to conventionally purchasing the medicine by going to nearby medical stores. In the retail business, 70 per cent sales are made by Generic medicines whereas over the counter and patented products make 21 & 9 per cent respectively. The future of online pharmacy in India is tremendous.
The number of medicine consumers is rising rapidly. India had 12 per cent of people who were aged 54 & above in 2010. But in 2021, it’s expected 14 per cent of people around this age. People in this age group are most likely to become ill as age is inversely proportional to immunity. The revenue generated was 28.5 Billion, 29.6 Billion dollars in 2014 & 2017 respectively in India. In 2024, it’s expected to increase up to 65 Billion dollars. With this, India will become the 6th largest pharmaceutical market in the world. Online pharmacy or E- Pharmacy can solve some major advantages over regular pharmacies.
Digital documentation
Generally, we are supposed to carry a prescription given by a doctor for medicine. In case, we don’t have it, it’s hard to get the right medicine. But in the case of online pharmacies, documents like prescription and lab tests are saved electronically. It saves a lot of time. In our country, people refer to digitalization in terms of paying online only but this is the true use of digitalization.
Doctor’s appointment available
In e- pharmacy, you can consult with doctors also. These doctors are the ones who are practising in general. In these times, it is the best solution to be under a supervision of a doctor. This is a proper procedure through which these doctors are selected to treat people online. If some doctor wants to be online through an e- pharmacy, the sales team would reach out to the doctor and make sure that all the certifications and documents are genuine. Then, the doctors come on board.
Affordability
E- pharmacies offer a good discount on buying medicines whereas you have to pay according to the MRP in regular pharmacy stores. Online pharmacies also issue coupons for upcoming buys which benefit and satisfy the customers.
No Drug Abuse
Many medical agencies have been alleged to sell medicines without even any prescription. It leads to drug abuse. People could use these medicines for something which they are not supposed to be used for. They could also use it in excessive amount. It could cause severe health & social problems. It leads to addiction and eventually, it gets impossible to have control over the usage.
Privacy is assured
Several people hesitate to go to a pharmacy for medicine or to tell the problem in front of everyone. They get anxious. For example, people who are suffering from mental health problems are not open to talk about their situation. For them, online pharmacy is a great option. They can discuss their issue comfortably. It would be a proper package in which we get medicines as well as a doctor to consult.
Accessibility
In Metro cities or Tier 1 cities, it is easy to get all the medicines easily but in rural areas, situations are not the same. People have to travel 4-5 km to get the required medicines. The online pharmacy will solve this issue and also nullify the travel expenses. There would be no issue of going out and risking our lives also. So, it’s a win-win situation.
Giants of the market showing interest
Recently two significant merger and acquisition deals have been made. Market giant Reliance bought a huge share of a Chennai based online pharmacy start-up called “Netmeds”. Another e-pharmacy company “Medlife” got merged with “Pharmeasy”. Stalwart like Amazon has recently decided to start online drug delivery services. The expectations are huge.
Time is precious
In Covid times, we have realised the importance of time. The online pharmacy structure saves a lot of time. In general, when we feel unwell, we need to book an appointment with the doctor. Then we go to the doctor to determine the problem/disease. The medicine prescribed by the doc is brought by us and after 5-7 days, we feel well. In the case of e-pharmacy, the vision is to solve the main problem not to go through the process only. It’s something that saves a lot of time.
However, there are many factors where improvement is necessary. These factors are described in the following way.
Flexible delivery system :- The delivery system can be improved. The time taken should be limited.
Availability of generic medicines:- The search results in e-pharmacy apps should show generic medicine results for customer satisfaction as far as quality and money are concerned.
Clearly mentioned details:- Warnings and dosages should be mentioned on the websites and apps.
Educate the customer:- The seller’s duty is not only to sell medicine, they should be responsible to spread awareness and educating the customers.
In countries like the UK and the USA, e-pharmacy has been already approved. They are taking benefits of online pharmacy for 10-12 years. VIPPS (Verified internet pharmacy practice sites) is an organisation that approved e-pharmacy in the USA whereas the European Union has already issued a common logo for running an online pharmacy. There are times when the disease is determined out of nowhere and the patient gets depressed. Through online pharmacies where AI & machine learning are being used, it is possible to determine the symptoms earlier. With the help of our prescriptions, medicines & problems we are facing, it is possible. The future of online pharmacies is bright in India. It is lesser-known but acquires a huge potential to become one of the best innovations ever in the upcoming 5-7 years. It heavily depends on how the companies would maintain ethics and manage the legal requirements also. Overall, it’s helpful to humans in several ways and we hope, in these tough times, we make changes that save our times without risking our health.
The Top Notch Writer 