Telangana Cracks Down on Online Medicine Sales; Notices Issued to 32 Medical Shops

Telangana’s drug enforcement authorities have intensified inspections of medical shops associated with online medicine delivery platforms. On October 28, 2026, officials conducted a special enforcement drive across the CURE region to examine compliance with the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. The operation was reportedly carried out by the enforcement wing of the Telangana SAFE authority in coordination with police and excise enforcement personnel. A total of 106 establishments were inspected, including pharmacies linked to platforms such as Tata 1mg, Netmeds, Zepto, Apollo 24/7, MedPlus MART and Instamart.

According to the report, officials identified several alleged violations, including missing sales bills and purchase invoices, failure to maintain prescription-drug and Schedule H1 registers, and the sale of prescription medicines without valid prescriptions. Some establishments were also reportedly found operating without the supervision of a qualified pharmacist and failing to maintain proper purchase and sales records. Authorities issued show-cause notices to 32 medical shops and warned that further action could be taken under the applicable law. The department also announced that complaints about illegal medicine sales, diversion of addictive drugs and other online pharmacy violations could be made through the toll-free number 1800-599-6969 on working days between 10:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.