Govt Mulls Rule To Force Pharmacies To Dispense Exact Prescription Quantities: Chemist Body Resists

AIOCD writes to DCGI, citing drug safety risks, financial losses; warns policy rolled out without stakeholder consultation

The outcome will be closely watched by both patient advocacy groups—who have long complained about being forced to over-purchase medicines—and the pharmacy trade, which argues it is being asked to absorb costs without any compensating policy support.
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The central government is considering a proposal that would require pharmacies to dispense medicines in exact quantities as prescribed by doctors—selling five tablets when five are prescribed, rather than forcing patients to buy a full strip of 10 or 15, News18 has learnt.

The Drug Consultative Committee (DCC), in its latest meeting, took up the matter after receiving a public grievance highlighting how pharmacies routinely refuse to cut or dispense loose strips, compelling patients to incur unnecessary costs.

The DCC minutes, seen by News18, record that the committee “deliberated the matter and recommended to refer the matter to the sub-committee already constituted in the 66th meeting of DCC dated 17.06.2025 to examine the matters of labelling.”

While patient groups may welcome the move, India’s largest chemists’ lobby has raised a strong red flag.

Chemists Write to DCGI

The All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD)—representing pharmacists and retail chemists across the country—wrote to Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi on April 7, urging the government to pause and consult stakeholders before pushing the proposal forward.

In the letter, seen by News18, the lobby acknowledged the intent behind the proposal but warned of serious unintended consequences. “We understand the concern that patients should not be compelled to purchase medicines in excess of their prescribed requirement. However, while supporting the intent of the proposal, certain practical and regulatory challenges need to be carefully addressed,” the letter said.

AIOCD’s concerns fall into three broad categories: financial losses to retailers, drug safety risks, and the absence of prior consultation.

On financial viability, the organisation pointed out that dispensing loose tablets will inevitably produce unsold partial strips that cannot be reused or returned. “These cut strips cannot be returned to stockists or manufacturers, leading to direct financial loss for chemists,” the letter said, adding that “medicine prices and margins are already fixed by the government” and retailers simply cannot absorb such losses.

The drug safety concern is one of the most serious objections. AIOCD flagged that cutting strips often destroys critical information printed on packaging. “One of the most critical concerns is related to drug safety and traceability: cutting strips often results in loss of batch number and expiry date visibility,” the letter warns. The organisation said this creates risks across patient safety, drug recall situations, complaint redressal, and legal liability for chemists.

On the question of consultation, AIOCD was direct: “To the best of our knowledge, such a significant operational change has not been discussed in detail with trade bodies like the AIOCD prior to this proposal.” The letter argued that since chemists are the primary stakeholders responsible for implementation, it is essential that “trade bodies are taken into confidence” and “practical ground-level challenges are incorporated into policy decisions.”

What Chemists Want Instead

Rather than an outright rejection, AIOCD offered a six-point alternative framework. It called on pharmaceutical companies to produce variable pack sizes aligned with common prescription durations, and demanded that batch numbers and expiry dates be printed on every individual tablet or blister segment. The body also asked companies and distributors to establish a return and compensation mechanism for unsold partial strips, and urged the government to revise trade margins to offset losses.

On the question of whether dispensing should be mandatory or voluntary, AIOCD wrote, “Chemists can’t not give medicine Suo Moto—must be allowed to dispense loose quantities where feasible, rather than making it mandatory.”

The letter concluded with a request that “any policy decision be implemented only after detailed discussion with stakeholders, including trade bodies like AIOCD.”

What Happens Next?

The matter now sits with a DCC sub-committee tasked with examining labelling-related issues.

The outcome will be closely watched by both patient advocacy groups—who have long complained about being forced to over-purchase medicines—and the pharmacy trade, which argues it is being asked to absorb costs without any compensating policy support.