DCA Issues Notices To 41 Online Pharmacies

The DCA, Telangana, carried out the drive on June 6, 2026, to verify practices and ensure compliance with the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and the Rules made thereunder, Director DCA said.

During the drive, a total of 166 medical shops were inspected. These included 159 shops linked to online medicine delivery services (licensed premises of online pharmacy operators or their networked partner pharmacies) and seven shops associated with online B2B platforms such as IndiaMART, Director DCA Mohanty said.

Irregularities observed included non‑maintenance and failure to produce sales bills of medicines, failure to maintain prescription drug registers and Schedule H1 drug registers, failure to produce purchase invoices, dispensing of prescription medicines without valid prescriptions issued by a Registered Medical Practitioner, sale of medicines without the supervision of a Registered Pharmacist, and improper maintenance of copies of sales and purchase records.

Show‑cause notices were issued to 41 medical shops across the state linked to online pharmacies, and further action will be initiated as per the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and the Rules made thereunder. The DCA reiterated that strict compliance with statutory requirements is mandatory for all medical shops, including those associated with online platforms. Any deviation from the prescribed norms will attract stringent action.

The public may report complaints regarding illegal activities related to medicines, as well as suspected manufacturing activities concerning drugs, including narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, in residential, commercial or industrial areas through the Drugs Control Administration, Telangana toll‑free number 1800-599-6969, operational from 10.30 am to 5.00 pm on all working days, a press release issued by DG DCA on Sunday stated.