Annexure-I

Project Report
On
“Consumer awareness about E- pharmacy”

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the requirement for the Award

of the Degree of
Bachelor in Business Administration (General)

Submitted To: Submitted By:

DR. Shruti bhalhara Student Name – Srishti shilpi
Class (Section) –BBA(G) sec c
Enrollment No. - 13521201721

BATCH 2021-2024

DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Maharaja Surajmal Institute
Recognized by UGC u/s 2(f), NAAC Accredited ‘A’ Grade
Affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University,Delhi C-
4, Janakpuri, New Delhi-110058
 Annexure-II

CERTIFICATE

I, Mr/Ms._ __srishti shilpi_ , Roll No. _13521201721_ certify that

Minor Project Report (Paper Code :___________) entitled
“__consumer awareness about e pharmacy_” is done by me and it is an authentic work
carried out by me. The matter embodied in this has not been submitted earlier for the award
of any degree or diploma to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Signature of the Student

This is to certify that Project Report entitled “_____consumer awareness about e

pharmacy___” which is submitted by ______srishti shilpi____________ in partial fulfillment
of the requirement for the award of degree Bachelor in Business Administration to Maharaja
Surajmal Institute Affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, C-4,
Janakpuri, New Delhi-110058 is a record of the candidate own work carried out by him under
my supervision. The matter embodied in this report is original and has not been submitted for the
award of any other degree.

Signature of the Guide Name

of the Guide:

Designation:
 ACKNOWLEGMENT

It is really a matter of pleasure for me to get an opportunity to thank all the persons who contributed
directly or indirectly for the successful completion of the project report “consumer awareness about
e pharmacy

First of all, I would like to special thanks to my professor MS.shruti bhalhara, MSI Janakpuri who
gave me the golden opportunity to do this wonderful project. This project also helped me in doing a
lot of research and I came to know about so man new things.

I am extremely grateful to my parent ,friends and also faculty members who gave valuable
suggestions and guidance for my entire sturdy

Srishti shilpi

Signature of the student

 TABLE OF CONTENT PAGE

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION 5-27
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY
LITRATURE REVIEW
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

CHAPTER 2
28-39
PROFILE OF THE COMPANY

CHAPTER 3
40-42
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

CHAPTER 4
43-49
ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

CHAPTER 5
50-53
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY
 CHAPTER -1
INTRODUCTION

OBJECTIVES OF THE STURDY

The main objective of e-pharmacy is to deliver medicine at an affordable cost to all places. Online
pharmacies can address several issues that Indian healthcare consumers face, including:

 Consumer convenience: Consumers can order medicine from their computer or mobile.
 Consumer access: Online platforms can aggregate supplies that are otherwise hard to find
across the country.
 Consumer education: Online pharmacies can provide value added information such as drug
interactions, side effects, medicine reminders, and information on cheaper substitutes.
 However, there are also some risks associated with purchasing medicine online from
unknown sources, such as substandard, falsified, and unregistered medicinal products. Public
awareness campaigns can help persuade internet shoppers to evaluate drug selling websites,
avoiding ones with low credibility and preferring nationally approved verified retailers.
 According to a survey, younger participants are more likely to be aware of online pharmacies
(OPs) and purchase from them than older participants. Men are also less likely to be aware of
OPs than women, and if they are aware of OPs, they are less likely to purchase from them.

 Raise awareness about risks

Public awareness campaigns can help internet users understand the risks of buying
medicines online from unknown sources, and prevent the use of substandard, falsified, or
unregistered medicinal products.
 Encourage evaluation of drug selling websites
Campaigns should help internet shoppers avoid websites with low credibility and prefer
nationally approved verified retailers.

Purpose

Online pharmacies (OPs) represent a growing field that plays a major role in providing
pharmaceutical services in Saudi Arabia (SA). Thus, investigating public awareness of this option
and assessing consumers’ experiences and satisfaction, as well as opportunities and barriers for OPs,
were the main aims of this study.

Participants and methods

In this cross-sectional study, adult participants (≥18 years) in SA completed a three-part, custom-
designed online questionnaire. The first section collected information on participants’ demographic
characteristics, their awareness of the existence of OPs, and history of OP purchases. The second
section explores customer satisfaction levels and motivating factors. Finally, the third section
investigated non-consumers’ reasons for not purchasing from OPs and sought information about
services that could motivate them to make future purchase decisions.
SMART OBJECTIVES

A SMART objective is one that is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
SMART objectives provide the details for how a group or organization will achieve a goal.

In order to understand how the parts of SMART objectives flow together, the order of the SMART
components listed below will go out of order—SMTRA. This is because the Specific, Measurable
and Time-Bound parts are clearly visible in the standard written format for objectives. The
Achievable and Relevant pieces are more abstract and require reflection. Each of these parts will
include an example objective that will be re-written to be SMART.

SMART objectives should:

 Include all components of SMART

 Relate to a single result
 Be clearly written (use plain language, avoid jargon)

Specific objectives:

 Are precise
 Are clear to team, partners, and other groups
 Use plain language and avoid jargon
 Use verbs that document action

Prompts to consider when writing specific objectives include:

 Who: Who will be impacted? Who is your focus population?

 What: What do you intend to impact?

Note that not all of these questions will apply to every objective.

Example: Reduce the percent of Tubman County students in grades 6 through 12 who have smoked
cigarettes in the past 30 days.
Measurable

How will we show impact over time? Use a measure, to show progress toward a target:

 Measure: A measure is a number, percent, or standard unit used as a reference point from
which change can be monitored.
 Target: A target is the direction we want to move the measure, or the level we want to reach.
 Data source: Be sure to tie your measure and target to a specific data source, like a regular
survey or publication, or a state or local agency.

Prompts to consider when writing measurable objectives include:

 How much and in what direction will change occur?

 What data will you use to measure?
 Where will this data come from?
  Is there a stand-in or proxy measure to use if you cannot directly measure this objective? If
not, would another measure be more appropriate instead?

Example: Decrease by 5 percentage points the number of Tubman County students in grades 6
through 12 who have smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days (baseline: 18%; data source: 2019
Minnesota Student Survey).

Time-bound

Time-bound objectives attach a reasonable date by which and objective will happen.

 Not too soon: Give enough time to demonstrate success and/or the connection between action
and outcome
 Not too far away: Don't encourage procrastination, or remove the ability to connect the dots
between action and outcome
 Consider when data will be available: May determine your time for you

Prompts to consider when writing time-bound objectives include:

 Is this time frame realistic?

 Should it be closer? Should it be further away?
 When will the data be available?

Example: By December 31, 2022, decrease by 5 percentage points the number of Tubman County
students in grades 6 through 12 who have smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days (baseline: 18%;
data source: 2019 Minnesota Student Survey).

Achievable

Objectives should be within reach for your partners, community, or team, and consider available
resources, knowledge, and time. Remember, considering what's achievable for your team or
organization often requires thought and discussion.

Prompts to consider when writing achievable objectives include:

 How will the group accomplish this objective?

 Does the current time frame or environment help or hinder this objective? Should we scale the
target or time frame up or down?
 What resources will help us achieve this objective? What limitations or constraints stand in
our way?

A note of caution about setting objectives for long-term, population-level change:

  Complex, long-term issues require decades of work for change; your organization's actions
are one small part
 Who's on the hook if you don't achieve your target?
 Is it more appropriate to measure movement direction without setting a concrete target
number? (e.g., increase, decrease, or maintain)
 Consider intermediate objectives when appropriate

Example intermediate objective with target direction AND number: By December 31, 2022, increase
the percent of establishments that pass tobacco compliance checks from 75%
to 80% (data source: 2020 Tubman County Sheriff's Department).

Example long-term objective with JUST target direction: By December 31, 2025, decrease
the percent of Tubman County students in grades 6-12 who smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days
(baseline: 82%, data source: 2019 Minnesota Student Survey).

Relevant

Relevant objectives align with a corresponding goal and with an organization or group's mission,
vision, and values. They're important to partners, community members, and decision-makers, and
they help achieve meaningful change for focus populations.

Prompts to consider when writing relevant objectives include:

 Will objective contribute to achieving goal?

 Is it worthwhile and meaningful to measure this objective?
 IMPORTANT OF THE STURDY

E-PHARMACY BUSINESS

Time-Savings

With an online eCommerce pharmacy, ordering prescription medication is a breeze. From those with
busy schedules to the elderly or disabled, anyone can take advantage of this convenient system.

Money Savings

Shopping for medication online isn't just convenient; it could also save customers money. According
to studies, buying drugs through the internet can lead to an incredible one-third reduction in overall
costs.

Privacy

The online pharmacy model offers unparalleled levels of privacy and confidentiality. No matter your
age, gender identity, relationship status, or health issue, it's a convenient process that eliminates any
anxiety associated with speaking directly face-to-face when ordering or picking up prescriptions.

Reduced Medication Errors

Anyone working in a retail pharmacy location is going to feel rushed, especially when there's a line
of customers. Healthcare professionals can get just as flustered as anyone with they feel they have to
move faster than usual, which could reduce patient safety as medication errors are introduced.

Moving to a more relaxed online method is simply one more way of preventing adverse drug events
and reducing harmful interactions with controlled substances.

Prescription Verification

Shopping for medication online has become easier with the rise of e-pharmacies, yet safety is
paramount. All medicines require a prescription from a personal doctor or completion of an extensive
health questionnaire approved by an experienced physician before being delivered to the customer
safely and securely. Health insurance information is also run quickly and easily.

Ease of Additional Information

If the patient ever needs to know more about the drugs they are taking, e-pharmacies are a great
source of reliable and current information. They provide not only helpful links to medical resources
from universities and government agencies, but the technology collects health data and shares useful
information regarding medicines and illnesses.
Is Taking Electronic Prescriptions Worth It?
As you can see, there are quite a few advantages of offering medications via pharmacy websites. The
benefits that providers and patients see have made it a very lucrative business model.

It Requires Effort

We won't say that running e-prescribing software and a mail-order business is going to be easy, but in
most cases, it is worth it. Once you differentiate yourself from the far-too-common scam sites
offering "Canadian" pills and have a steady stream of customers, it's easy to see why the steady
stream of income is so enticing

E-Pharmacy Platforms Make It Much Easier

Whether you're interested in expanding a physical store into the digital space with e-prescribing
online stores, starting a new business, or replacing an older prescription website, be sure to find a
pharmacy platform that meets the needs of your business plan and can do what your customers
require. A platform can also help you maintain HIPAA pharmacy rules.

The Future of Prescription Drugs

If you're interested in adding e-prescribing functionality to your business or want to start a

prescription medication distribution business from scratch, Clarity would like to talk with you about
it.

We offer a complimentary discovery process, where we'll bring experts to the table to create a plan
and help you find out exactly how to create a HIPAA-compliant website and app for your customers
to use. You can use this plan with us or take it to another developer; we just want to see you succeed.
Get in touch today to get the process started!

The benefits of online pharmacies include:

 Increased accessibility and convenience for patients to get their medications.

 The ability to compare prices from multiple vendors (other online pharmacies) in order to find the
best deal.
 Access to prescription information, including dosage instructions and warnings about drug
interactions.
 A safe, secure, and private ordering process, with less risk of fraudulent orders.
 An online pharmacy with a local, physical location may offer same-day delivery.
 Prompt customer service and support, with 24/7 access to a licensed pharmacist via email or phone
to ensure patient health.
Can anyone use the online pharmacy ?

Yes, generally, anyone can use an online pharmacy, but there are important considerations.

Online pharmacies offer convenience and accessibility, especially for those with mobility issues,
busy schedules, or living in remote areas. However, it's crucial to ensure the online pharmacy is
legitimate, licensed, and operates under legal regulations.

Always consult a healthcare professional before purchasing prescription medications online, as they
can provide proper guidance on dosage, potential interactions, and side effects in case the pharmacy
services online don't provide enough information.

Also, be cautious of suspiciously low prices or online stores that do not require a prescription for
prescription-only medications, as these could indicate an illegitimate operation. Those with complex
medical conditions or requiring specialized medications should exercise extra caution and consult
their healthcare provider.

Overall, while online pharmacies offer convenience, safety should always be the top priority.
 LITRATURE REVIEW

Being an integral part of the health system, pharmaceutical system is charged with an important goal
of ensuring the equitable access to pharmaceutical products and their quality use based on
scientifically sound evidence and supported by pharmaceutical care (PC).1 PC is defined as ‘the
responsible provision of drug therapy for the purpose of achieving definite outcomes that improve a
patient’s quality of life’.2 By providing PC, pharmacists help to reduce drug-related problems,
assuring rational drug use, supporting clinical management and promoting healthy lifestyles.3 4

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the delivery of PC has been inevitably disrupted by
major public health measures, compromising the provision of medicines and care. Nevertheless,
pharmacists are expected not only to ensure the continuity of care but also to adapt PC to the new
needs during the challenging time.5 As such, eHealth has been increasingly adopted to support PC to
overcome geographic barriers and enhance health outcome.6

According to the WHO, eHealth is defined as ‘the cost-effective and secure use of information and
communication technology (ICT) through online in support of health and health-related fields,
including healthcare services, health surveillance, health literature, and health education, knowledge,
and research’.7 Reportedly, integrating eHealth into PC is beneficial to patient self-management and
drug adherence, clinical disease management and health promotion.3 8–10 During the COVID-19
pandemic, as a result of public health measures resulting in reduced accessibility to hospitals or
pharmacies, the traditional mode of in-person care delivery would no longer suffix. eHealth has, thus,
been widely considered as an instrument for setting up a more innovative, efficient and resilient PC
service model.11

The research interest in examining the interface between PC and eHealth has been growing. Some
studies focused on evaluating particular PC-eHealth programmes. Spanakis et al evaluated a
personalised eHealth platform that addressed key features of PC and found that eHealth could be used
as a tool to allow pharmacists provide personalised PC services to optimise
pharmacotherapy.12 Other studies might focus on the application of PC-eHealth in the management
of particular diseases. The study by Jeminiwa et al demonstrated the effectiveness of eHealth in
improving adherence to inhaled corticosteroids among patients with persistent asthma.13 Kilova et
al addressed the prospects for ICT in providing OC and how eHealth related technologies had aided
in the promotion of patient care during the outbreak of the epidemic.14 15 Another review by
Iftinan et al primarily explored the eHealth services which could be used as an immediate alternative
to PC for chronically ll patients during an epidemic.16

At present, while most of the current research focused on how eHealth might benefit the continuous
access to essential pharmacy services in the absence of in-person interactions between pharmacists
and their patients, there is little systematic research about the ‘know-how’ of integrating eHealth
services and tools in PC to perform certain interventions or achieve predefined outcomes amid the
challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering the potential benefits of applying eHealth in
maintaining pharmaceutical services, empowering patients to improve compliance and adherence,
reducing the risks of drug-related problems (eg, adverse drug reactions or drug interactions) and
supporting pharmacovigilance amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic,17–19 this review
aims to determine how eHealth was adopted in PC, the outcome reported and the contextual factors
identified. The study findings are expected to be useful for informing the optimisation of eHealth in
PC whenever needed in future public

Study design

This systematic literature review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for
Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.17 The use of the PRISMA 2020
statement for guidance was to transparently report why the review was done, what the authors did,
and what had been found during the course of identifying, selecting, appraising and synthesising
studies.17 The review protocol had been registered in The International prospective register of
systematic reviews (PROSPERO) with the reference number: CRD42022299812 (available
from https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022299812). A
combination of 6 databases were used to optimise the yield of relevant research and the databases
(including PubMed, Scopus, Medline, Web of Science, Science Direct and China National
Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI)) were selected because they specialised in scholarly literature
related to health and medical topics. The literature search was completed on 15 April 2022.

Search strategy

The research question ‘How did pharmacists employ eHealth during the COVID-19 pandemic for the
provision of care to their patients?’ was developed using the population, intervention, comparison,
outcome and time frame (PICOT) framework.18 In the PICOT framework, the population referred to
pharmacists, either practised alone or as a member of an interprofessional team and regardless of
their work setting; the intervention referred to adopting eHealth for the purpose of tele-education,
tele-consultation, tele-monitoring, tele-case-management, tele-mentoring); the comparison is not
applicable; the outcome referred to the impact of the care on people cared by pharmacists via
eHealth; and the time frame was the period of COVID-19 pandemic.

Considering the three major concepts “pharmaceutical care”, “eHealth” and “COVID-19 pandemic”
that constituted the research question of this review, their Medical Subject Headings terms as well as
the corresponding keywords and phrases identified in related literature were used to formulate a
comprehensive search strategy. Terms within “pharmaceutical care”, “eHealth” and “COVID-19
pandemic” were combined with OR, and this results from each concept were combined with AND. A
detailed description of the search strategies for each chosen database is provided in online
supplemental file 1. In addition, the reference lists and citations of included articles were examined to
identify further papers for inclusion.
Eligibility criteria

Studies which reported the use of eHealth in any aspects of PC during the COVID-19 pandemic,
published between December 2019 (when cases of COVID-19 infection were first reported) and
March 2022, written in English or Chinese, and published in peer-reviewed journals were included.
The study types were limited to descriptive studies, prospective observational studies, retrospective
cohort studies, retrospective chart reviews, cross-sectional surveys and qualitative studies. Studies
which reported about the use of eHealth to support the use of medicines during the COVID-19
pandemic by healthcare professionals other than pharmacists were not considered. In addition,
opinion articles, conference abstracts, correspondence, letters and editorials were excluded

Study selection, data extraction and presentation

All members in the research team responsible for literature screening which included two Master
students (ZFC and PKT) and two senior researchers (HH and COLU) were fluent in both English and
Chinese. Two of the authors (ZFC and PKT) independently conducted the literature search and
applied the inclusion and exclusion criteria. After the removal of duplication, citations were screened
for inclusion by title first, and the remaining papers were then screened by abstracts (ZFC and PKT).
After initial screening, the full text of studies were screened (ZFC and PKT) with guidance from one
of the senior researchers (COLU) who randomly selected and checked a percentage of the included
and excluded articles to ensure the eligibility of the included papers and the appropriateness of the
excluded papers. Any differences were discussed and resolved among ZFC, PKT, HH and COLU by
consensus.

On confirmation of the included studies, the reference lists were first examined to identify any further
papers for inclusion (ZFC and PT). This was followed by data extraction, in which the required data
from each included study was extracted and input into a pre-designed Excel table (ZFC and PKT). In
addition to the characteristics of the included studies (such as first author, year of publication, study
type, study location, study aim, targets of eHealth pharmacy service and types of pharmacists
involved), the design of the Excel table was also informed by the types of eHealth involved and the
logic model featuring the key components of goals, input, activities, output and contextual factors.19

For the purpose of this study within the context of the logic model, ‘input’ referred to the eHealth
tools involved and the support from different stakeholders such as the government, pharmacist
professional organisations, hospital, pharmacy and pharmacist; ‘activities’ referred to services
provided by pharmacists with eHealth; ‘output’ and ‘outcome’ referred to the impact of the services
pharmacists provided with eHealth on the people they cared for. Any divergences during the data
extraction process were resolved through discussion among ZFC and PKT, and subject to agreement
by HH and COLU and final confirmation by all authors. Narrative synthesis was undertaken to
summarise and report the findings.
 RESEARCH METHODOLY

 Questionnaire-based surveys
The survey can be divided into sections such as demographic information, knowledge about
online pharmacy, and attitude towards online pharmacy. The survey can be pre-tested on
participants and then distributed to potential participants.
 Quantitative analysis
The research can use a quantitative analysis method to seek out answers to the
questionnaire. For example, the research can use an online platform like email, Google form, or
WhatsApp to circulate a 25-question survey among customers.
 Primary data
The questionnaire method can be used to collect primary data. The primary data can be
processed using SPSS software. Descriptive and inferential statistics can be applied for the study
of objectives and testing of hypothesis.
Abstract: Digital marketing is also popularly known as electronic marketing or online marketing.
Through online portals, Pharmacy Company sells everything from prescription drugs to other
healthcare products. Indian healthcare market is growing at good speed & presently both online &
offline pharmacies are doing business. The benefits of online pharmacies are privacy, avail great
choice, lower prices, home delivery, convenience mainly. No doubt E –pharmacy improves
Consumer convenience & access to medicines. At present the leading E- pharmacy players are- 1mg,
Net meds, MChemist, Myra, Medlife etc & access to medicines. The foremost purpose of this study
is to analyze buying behavior of consumers towards online shopping of medicines & to look at
factors influencing them to purchase medicines online For this purpose we have used questionnaire
method to get the response of people towards this. A sample of 100 Respondents was taken by
Random sampling method to conduct the study.

The findings of the study reveal that the majority of population used E-pharmacy for convenience and
discounts. Keywords: Consumer, Buying, Behavior, Online, medicines, shopping Introduction:
Online purchase is a form of electronic trade where by consumers directly buy goods or services from
a vendor over the internet without a mediator service. Nowadays Online purchase of medicines
through online portals of pharmacies become extra accepted into people’s daily life lot of citizens
prefers online shopping to usual shopping of medicines. Online shopping of medicines is simple and
suitable for people to pick up the medicines they would like to buy using internet, consumers in a
moment need to click to finish the full buying procedure. Online purchase of medicines makes
shopping simple and customers buying pattern towards online operating shop. The flair of compare
your medicines with other similar kind of medicines on the base of price, colour, volume, discount
and superiority is one of the principal profit of online purchase of medicines.

This association has been wrecked up into two main sectors: business to- business (B2B) and
business-to-customer (B2C) .E-Commerce comprises core commerce process of trade, promotion of
goods, services and information over the internet is vast and still rising. Online purchase of medicines
provides a lot of choices to customer than the established bricks and mortar retail supplies. A bunch
of shoppers using the internet at the present as Internet provides a bundle of compensation to shopper.
It helps in accumulating time for other works and enables them to keep away from crowd. Medicines
are considerably cheaper and permit consumers to buy medicines from wherever anytime in the
globe. By purchasing online consumers are capable to evaluate prices without difficulty a lot of big
retailers display link and will refer their consumers to comparable merchandise. Which yet again adds
to the diversity of goods presented there?

The procedure of purchasing medicines through an online medical store has become rather advanced
Business provide customer concern by answering their queries sending e-mail after purchase and go
after the post purchase. Consumer can also visit websites if they have any elucidation with the
medicine treatment or performance. Brunt of Technology in online shopping of medicines has
brought a revolt in pharmaceuticals business on the whole. It facilitates getting prompt information
on medicines and services. For the consumers the significant benefits are everyplace purchasing
through internet and mobile. It has also facilitated the use of protected Debit card and Credit card and
online bank operation and cash on delivery. The main center of the study was the bulk of internet
users are youngsters. The E- pharmacy websites are repeatedly visited by the shopper 24×7

Methods: A analysis feedback form consisted of 15 questions was developed, validated and
administered to the customers to discover the consumer’s actions and awareness towards the
utilization of online Pharmacy services. This was a cross sectional analysis study which was
conducted in the Jaipur city of Rajasthan between 20 august 2019 and 10 September 2019. The
questionnaire was distributed randomly to the citizens of jaipur and the data were collected primarily.
Validation of survey questionnaire: The stuffing of the analysis questionnaire was talk about and
monitors out for the appropriateness and after conclusion the contents of the questionnaire, was
distributed to the citizens of Jaipur.

For the questionnaire legalization, a pilot study on a set of twenty participants was conceded out.
Contents of survey questionnaire The review questionnaire was consisting of three segments.
Segment one largely focus on the demographic about i.e. age, gender, education level, and occupation
of respondents. The objective of second segment was to make inquiries about the preference of the
respondents for different method available for buying medicine. Segment three was the nucleus
section of the investigation questionnaire try to assess the respondent’s knowledge, behavior and
observation towards the use of online pharmacy services. Information was entered into SPSS
Advance Statistics version 22.0, licensed for IIS deemed to be University for additional investigation.

Methods: A analysis feedback form consisted of 15 questions was developed, validated and
administered to the customers to discover the consumer’s actions and awareness towards the
utilization of online Pharmacy services. This was a cross sectional analysis study which was
conducted in the Jaipur city of Rajasthan between 20 august 2019 and 10 September 2019. The
questionnaire was distributed randomly to the citizens of jaipur and the data were collected primarily.
Validation of survey questionnaire:

The stuffing of the analysis questionnaire was talk about and monitors out for the appropriateness
and after conclusion the contents of the questionnaire, was distributed to the citizens of Jaipur. For
the questionnaire legalization, a pilot study on a set of twenty participants was conceded out.
Contents of survey questionnaire The review questionnaire was consisting of three segments.
Segment one largely focus on the demographic about i.e. age, gender, education level, and occupation
of respondents. The objective of second segment was to make inquiries about the preference of the
respondents for different method available for buying medicine. Segment three was the nucleus
section of the investigation questionnaire try to assess the respondent’s knowledge, behavior and
observation towards the use of online pharmacy services. Information was entered into SPSS
Advance Statistics version 22.0, licensed for IIS deemed to be University for additional investigation.
 SCOPE OF THE STURDY

The recent worldwide pandemic has prompted several companies to turn to the online market. The
pharmaceutical industry is one such significant and crucial in India. There has been an upsurge in
online pharmacies throughout the Indian subcontinent over the last 3–5 years. This unique
development of online or “E-pharmacy” field has been carefully examined and presented in this
article. The distinction between online and offline pharmacies, the advantages and challenges faced
by E-pharmacies, the driving forces that led to the growth of the E-pharmacy sector in India, and the
various emerging Indian E-pharmacy companies are covered. A comprehensive review of the legal
system under which the E-pharmacy industry operates is also briefed. The reader will also learn about
the various initiatives implemented by the Government in support of the E-pharmacy sector in India

A web-based pharmacy is an online system that provides a platform for customers to purchase
medicinal drugs and E-services online, allowing the customer to receive medicines/services in the
comfort of their homes within a short time.

[1] In this article, we aim to provide valuable insight into the online pharmacy sector in India.

The Indian drug market was assessed to be at US$ 41 billion in 2021 and remained the third biggest
market as far as the amount/volume and the thirteenth biggest in terms of value. It is predicted to
advance to US$ 65 billion by 2024 while ascending in maturing populace and persistent infections,
rising expendable livelihoods, and expanding mindfulness, among others.

[2] This calculated figure, which is around 33% of that of the US and practically a large portion of
that of Europe, gives India a cutting edge as a creating objective.

[3] Drug stores are gradually picking up force inside the online business industry space with its
amazingly developing infiltration rate. As of now, around 250 online drug stores have come up
within the nation.

[4]

E-pharmacy is a highly unexplored sector and rose to popularity because of several entrepreneurs
who aimed at delivering quality healthcare to every citizen in India at affordable rates. The
preference for E-pharmacy rose from 23% in 2013 to around 59% in 2018.

[5]

Another intriguing investigation by Frost and Sullivan has proposed that the estimated growth of the
E-drug store market in India is at a remarkable compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 63% and
will reach US$ 36 billion by 2022 from what was observed in 2018 (US$ 512 million).
[6] With urbanization on the rise, it is estimated that nearly half of the Indian population will turn to
E-platforms for their medical needs. As per Netmeds, the E-drug store represents 1½%–2% of the
entire pharmaceutical industry deal, and from the present trajectory, it can be assumed that the market
growth can go up to 10% before the end of 2023.

[7]

Several elements are driving the E-drug store market in India. Aside from pocket-friendly and
reasonable items, these drug stores likewise are offering some benefit-added items and
administrations such as arrangements for a specialist discussion (E-counsel) and E-symptomatic
administrations, among others.

[8] These administrations are helping these organizations to turn into a total medical care specialist
cooperative, particularly in those regions where specific specialists are inaccessible or travel for
discussions might be imperative for patients. Different E-medical services by the public authority
like Ayushman Bharat provide financial aid by increasing the reach of insurance plans to remote
places, feasible services, and doorstep conveyance within a short time, thereby expanding the
prevalence of the web drug stores over disconnected retail drug stores among purchasers.

[9] However, this industry has its shares of lows, and the biggest hindrance to this industry is the lack
of a rigid legal framework. Without well-defined regulations for this sector, E-pharmacy is unable to
win the battle over traditional medicine stores and continues to face several drawbacks, which will be
discussed further.

Rapid internet penetration in India

The last 5 years has witnessed an increase in the CAGR by 15%–16%. Internet penetration in both
rural and urban India has risen significantly, and with the availability of internet-enabled smartphones
and high-speed broadband connectivity, the number of internet users is expected to grow
exponentially.

Digital India initiative

The government-initiated flagship program, Digital India, aims to provide internet services to each
side of the nation, including far-off towns and villages, thereby encouraging the E-pharmacy concept
among the citizens and further opening doors of growth for this sector
 Increase in government support

The Government of India (GoI) and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) have
come up with several public health-oriented initiatives with the help of information and
communication technologies to enable residents to profit from government organizations without any
difficulty. Recorded beneath are a couple of government initiatives for online medical care
administrations:

 National health portal

 Online registration system
 E-hospital@NIC
 SUGAM

Aside from this, the National Health Stack is taking a shot at essentially cutting down the expenses of
well-being insurance, giving credit only and a consistently coordinated framework to help patients.
Adding to the healthcare initiatives, the increase in health insurance schemes protects the public from
the high cost of medicines and keeps their claim ratio under check. This is an added advantage to E-
pharmacy as many online players have tied up with the government E-healthcare initiatives. In turn,
the healthcare insurers are progressively elevating the clients to purchase drugs through E-pharmacy
gateways

Changing lifestyle and disease progression

In the last 25 years, the incidence of non communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension
has grown dramatically due to changing lifestyle habits generating a great demand for a lifelong
supply of medication for the diseased population. However, most people are either old or lack
awareness about the disease and do not seek medical help to avoid expensive treatment. E-pharmacy
aims to provide affordable medicine and healthcare facilities to every citizen of the country without
any physical movement, and hence, there is great scope for this sector.

Booming Indian economy

India ranks sixth in terms of nominal gross domestic product and third in terms of purchasing power
parity. It is the second quickest developing economy on the globe after China, and E-drug store is
expected to drive future development, empowering India to become one of the best three financial
forces in the world. At present, the Union Cabinet has approved the amendment in the foreign direct
investment (FDI) strategy in the drug area, permitting up to 100% FDI under the automated course
subsequently guaranteeing an expanded supply of medications over some time, consistent
accessibility and supply of medications, and nondiscontinuance of fundamental prescriptions. The
Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has also announced the introduction of the single window
facility, which will further ease the business operations of the pharmacy players both offline and
online. Development in the Indian financial industry has increased medical spending, which is further
expected to develop at 9%–12% CAGR between 2018 and 2022 to US$ 26–30 billion, which, thus,
has profited the online drug industry.

Expansion in domestic demand

With the increment in the education levels, increment in buyer right mindfulness, development in per
capita pay, and changes in ways of life because of urbanization, the interest in the computerized drug
store is expected to increase in the coming years.

Pandemic outbreak

The SARS COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be one of the major key drives in promoting the
importance of E-pharmacy. E-pharmacies have shown great resilience toward the pandemic by
providing essential healthcare services to people all across the nation during these trying times. There
is no doubt that E-pharmacies are here to stay, and in the coming months, the emergence of E-pharma
sectors will be well established

Existing e pharmacy model

At present, there is no well-established E-pharmacy model. However, the following are examples of
models that are being implemented by various E-pharmacy companies.

Stock-based model of E-pharmacy

According to the stock-based model, the merchandise and the enterprises are regulated by the E-
commerce organization, and the items are supplied to the customers directly. In addition, a list of
drugs dispensed across various areas/individuals is maintained. When orders are received through the
portal, they are verified by registered E-pharmacists for authenticity. Requests, which include a
prescription, are affirmed for a lawful E-remedy transferred to the client on the site. Medicines are
not apportioned without a valid prescription. Registered pharmacists cover the prescriptions in a
carefully designed package and convey them to the shoppers using dispatch administration.[50]

Commercial center-based model of E-pharmacy

In a commercial center-based model, the E-pharmacy organizations act as intermediaries between

consumers and retailers. The E-pharmacy functions as a compiler and provides an E-link that
interfaces with the clients and providers of drugs. The E-pharmacy site comprises authorized
drugstores and records their items. Clients pick the medicines/drugs offered on the site/application.
The E-prescription is transferred to the site/application. The request is then moved to the authorized .
 LIMITATION OF THE STURDY

Though the online sales of drugs are beneficial to the consumers, but it is also associated with a
few risks.

 Lack of immediate access to medications

 The growing use of online pharmacies has deprived patients of physical encounters and face to
face discussions with professional licensed pharmacists. Hence, by resorting to these means,
personal communication between pharmacists and patients has been reduced.

 Few e-pharmacies can dispense medicines to people without a prescription. People who procure
these medicines might experience deleterious drug-drug interactions and side effects. In such
cases, the health of a person may deteriorate instead of healing. Few illegal, fraudulent or
disreputable e-pharmacies sell drugs by putting human health at significant risk. Consumers
must be aware of such rogue drug stores.

 It is difficult to assess if the website is legitimate or not. Moreover, there is a possibility that the
prescription drugs bought online may be illegal, counterfeit, outdated or unapproved.

 Online pharmacies may promote drug misuse, drug abuse, and self-medication. Misdiagnosis
and inappropriate usage of medicines may lead to dangerous drug interactions. These dangers
may further be exacerbated in the case of unlicensed and illegally operated online pharmacies.[3,
8, 9, 14, 15]

We present four key challenges to regulating e-pharmacy, related to lack of consensus on regulatory
models, capacity, regulating cross border trade, and risks of over-regulation.

Lack of consensus on regulatory models

Lower-income countries might consider looking to the regulatory experience of their higher income
counterparts, which have been grappling with e-pharmacy for longer.29 However, there is no
consensus in upper-middle and HICs on appropriate regulations. For example, in Thailand it is illegal
to sell medicines online; whereas in the UK and Germany e-pharmacies are regulated as an extension
of physical pharmacies and incorporated into existing regulatory frameworks. While the UK has a
relatively permissive environment, Germany is more restrictive, only allowing the e-pharmacy sales
from a few select countries.

 Arguably one of the largest challenges facing HICs is the plethora of illegal or rogue e-pharmacies
that operate without licensure, offer POMs without a prescription, and sell counterfeit medicines and
goods. A small number of criminal gangs own thousands of ever-renewing bogus pharmacy
websites.30 To address this challenge, several HICs have placed emphasis on verification systems to
identify legitimate e-pharmacies, through the ‘EU common logo’, US Digital Pharmacy Accreditation
and Canada’s Canadian International Pharmacy Association (CIPA) certification mark. To receive
accreditation US e-pharmacies must apply for a ‘.pharmacy’ domain, a simple way to signal quality
to customers through the web address. Further, search engines such as Google, Yahoo! and Bing now
require a ‘.pharmacy’ domain in order to use their advertising services. Despite these developments,
most HIC governments would admit to facing major challenges in regulatory compliance.

Regulatory capacity and governance

While there are well-established legal frameworks for brick-and mortar pharmacies in LMICs (table
1), in practice they are often staffed by unqualified personnel, over-the-counter sale of POMs is
rampant, history taking and information provision is inadequate and clinically inappropriate
medicines are provided, including misuse of antibiotics.31–33 More generally, governance in the
pharmacy sector has been identified as poor, with high levels of corruption treated as normal. 34–
36
Regulatory agencies tasked with addressing these problems are under-staffed and overburdened.
Against this backdrop, the added burden of regulating e-pharmacy is daunting. Traditional
pharmaceutical regulators lack the skills to monitor online transactions and their complex links with
shipping, online advertising and payment services; and lack the power and resources to control large
companies. Substantial capacity building and resource commitment are identified as necessary but are
not yet forthcoming.

Regulating across borders

Added to these problems is the challenge of using national regulatory frameworks to control a market
that operates with ease across geographical boundaries. In the study countries, restrictions on imports
for personal use vary. In India, a doctor’s prescription should accompany personal shipments; in
Kenya, import of up to 3 months’ supply of prescription drugs is permitted subject to approval by the
Health Ministry; in Nigeria, import of medicines requires a license and is also limited to 3 months’
supply.37 In practice, these restrictions are rarely enforced, with customers easily purchasing from
other countries. Regulators have no jurisdiction over the activities of e-pharmacies outside their
national borders, which may operate under different systems for medicine approvals, marketing
procedures and retail pharmacy regulation. These challenges are compounded by the reach and
anonymity of e-pharmacies, and the ease of creating new websites and removing old ones.38 39

Despite these challenges, there is no global regulatory agency for e-pharmacy, and only limited
international cooperation. INTERPOL coordinates an annual effort entitled ‘Operation Pangea’ to
disrupt the sale of falsified medicines online, seizing 105 million units of medicine and making over
3000 arrests since 2008, but most seizures have been in HICs.40 Some independent organisations have
set up international verification systems eg LegitScript, yet again LMIC coverage remains very
limited.
Risks of over-regulation

While current regulation is clearly inadequate, there was concern among our interviewees that the
potential benefits of e-pharmacy could be stifled if future regulations were too stringent. Brushwood
warns that tough regulation directed towards illegitimate e-pharmacies runs the risk of stifling
innovation, while doing little to prevent inappropriate medicine use.41 He likens this response to the
‘war on drugs’ that law enforcement agencies in the USA have waged, with limited success; an
inadvertent effect of trying to protect the public from narcotic drug addiction is many patients
experiencing uncontrolled pain

E pharmacy management system (PMS)

 Initial and Ongoing Maintenance Costs

One of the primary cons of adopting PMS is the significant initial investment required for software

licensing, hardware upgrades, and staff training. Smaller pharmacies, in particular, may find this cost

prohibitive.

Beyond the initial investment, PMS requires ongoing maintenance, updates, and support. These costs

can accumulate over time and strain the pharmacy’s budget.

 Data Security and Privacy Concerns

PMS systems store sensitive patient information, making them potential targets for data breaches.

Ensuring robust cybersecurity measures and compliance with privacy regulations like HIPAA

during medical software development is critical but challenging.

 Technical Issues

Like any software, PMS is susceptible to technical glitches, system crashes, and downtime. These

disruptions can disrupt pharmacy operations and impact patient service.

Integrating PMS with other healthcare systems, such as Electronic Health Records (EHRs) or

insurance networks, can be technically challenging. Compatibility issues may arise, requiring

additional resources for integration.

 Customization Challenges

Customizing PMS to align with specific pharmacy workflows and requirements can be complex and

time-consuming. Some off-the-shelf pharmacy app development solutions may not accommodate

unique processes easily.

 Regulatory Compliance Burden

Staying compliant with evolving healthcare regulations, such as updates to drug classification or

prescription guidelines, can be demanding for PMS users. Ensuring that the software remains up-to-

date with these changes is crucial.

 Considerations for PMS Development

Adherence to healthcare regulations and standards is paramount. PMS must comply with regulations

like HIPAA, which govern the security/privacy of patient data, and FDA regulations for

pharmaceutical record-keeping and dispensing.

Stay tuned for changes in healthcare regulations and pharmaceutical standards. Develop a strategy for

maintaining compliance as regulations evolve.

 CHAPTER 2

PROFILE OF THE ORGAINISATION

Tata 1MG brings to you an online platform, which can be accessed for all your health needs From
over the counter medication to ayurveda medicines and healthcare devices, Tata 1MG offers you a
one-stop destination for delivery of a variety of healthcare products at your doorstep anywhere in
India!

1mg was launched in April 2015 after Healthkart separated its generic drug search business,
HealthkartPlus, and rebranded it as 1mg. 1mg allows users to find information about medicines
prescribed by doctors and also buy it online. Users can find medicines by ailments, class, companies,
and brands.
Tata 1mg's mission is to make healthcare understandable, accessible, and affordable for all people
living in India. The company was founded to provide accurate, authoritative, and trustworthy
information on medicines and to help people use their medicines effectively and safely.
In 2012, BLPL (Bright Lifecare Private Limited) started a digital health platform called
HealthkartPlus. In 2015, Health kart Plus separated from BLPL to form 1MG Technologies Private
Limited. Healthkart continued as a platform for fitness and health products; 1mg was a genroic search
business. The Gurugram-based digital health startup maintains an online medicine database with
information on side effects and generic substitutes and provides home delivery services for
pharmacy, FMCG, and lab tests. In June 2021, Tata Digital Ltd. acquired a 55% stake in 1mg to form
Tata 1mg.
In 2023, Tata 1mg overtook PharmEasy as the market leader. PharmEasy's share dropped to 15%
from roughly 33% during the same period, while Tata 1mg maintained a 31% market share, up from
19% in October 2022.
In 2024, Tata 1mg and Vitonnix UK jointly introduced Vitamin Sublingual Sprays in Indian market.
The first phase of the launch includes Vitamin D, Multivitamins, Biotin, and Melatonin

Tata Digital-owned epharmacy platform 1mg is a few quarters away from overall profitability, the
company’s founder Prashant Tandon said on Friday.

“A bunch of our businesses are profitable in terms of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and
amortisation (Ebitda) and a bunch of them will be Ebitda profitable,” said Tandon at the ET
Soonicorns Summit in New Delhi.
Top 10 competitors of Tata 1mg
1.Pharmeasy

The company was founded in 2015 by Dharmil Sheth and Dhaval Shah in Mumbai with the initial
seed funding provided by their parents. The company wanted to expand beyond the Mumbai market
and received their Series A funding.
In May 2021, PharmEasy acquired rival e-pharmacy company Medlife for an undisclosed amount. In
June 2021, the company acquired a 66.1% stake in diagnostics chain Thyrocare for ₹4,546
crore (US$613.5 million). In September 2021, it acquired a majority stake in Aknamed, a healthcare
supply chain company.
In November 2021, the company filed papers to launch its initial public offering (IPO) of ₹6,250
crore (US$843.46 million). The company withdrew its IPO plans in August 2022

2.Truemeds

According to Wikipedia, Truemeds is a telehealth platform that helps patients with chronic diseases
in India find quality medicines at reasonable prices. The company was founded in 2019 by Akshat
Nayyar and Kunal Wani, and is based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Truemeds provides free delivery of
the suggested brands, and has raised ₹2.1B in funding from 5 investors, including Info Edge ventures
and Westbridge Capital.
Truemeds' platform advises patients about substitute medicines offered by reputed pharmaceutical
companies, and recommends appropriate value medicines to customers with precise scientific
matching and outcome history. This enables patients to choose the right medicine at an affordable
price. Truemeds guarantees to reduce medicine costs up to 72%, and only supplies medicines from
India's top 50 medicine makers.

3.Netmeds.com

NetMeds is an online pharmacy based in Chennai, India, Netmeds provides online ordering and mail
delivery of prescription and non-prescription medications.
Customers place their orders online and receive delivery to their homes by mail two to four days
later.
Until Netmeds and additional Indian online pharmacies began operation in 2015, Indian consumers
had no choice but to travel at times long distances to buy their medications, and to wait in queues at
pharmacies to make their purchases.
The online sale of drugs by pharmacies is new and somewhat controversial in India, because
legislation controlling the sale of drugs hasn't kept up with online technologies and the mail
distribution of medications.
Pharmacy regulators and political leaders, including representatives of the Drug Controller General
of India, and Indian Pharmaceutical Association, have met in recent months to develop the best rules
to govern the safe operation of online pharmacies for Indian consumers. India's consumer pharmacy
market is estimated to be valued at US$18 billion and likely to grow to US$55 billion by the year
2020.
4.Sastasunder

Flipkart Health+ (formerly known as SastaSundar Healthbuddy Limited), is a e-commerce

platform dealing in healthcare, online pharmacy, diagnostics and e-consultation in India. The
company was co-founded in 2013, by Banwari Lal Mittal and Ravi Kant Sharma with the name
SastaSundar Healthbuddy in Kolkata. On 1 April 2022 Flipkart acquire a majority stake in
SastaSundar making it a Walmart-owned company.
SastaSundar Healthbuddy Limited, started as an online pharmacy in 2013. The company is based out
of Kolkata, India.[The company is a subsidiary of SastaSundar Ventures Limited, established in 2014. As
per media reports, the company operates over 200 stores in India. Flipkart health+ appoints Prashant
Jhaveri as CEO on March 15, 2022

In May 2017, SastaSundar received ₹33.4 crore funding from Japan-based pharmaceutical
company Rohto Pharmaceutical In Aug 2019, Mitsubishi Corporation invested ₹100 crore in the
company. In November 2021, Flipkart Health acquired Sastasundar Healthbuddy for undisclosed sum
5.Medplus

MedPlus Health Services is an Indian pharmacy retail chain, headquartered in Hyderabad MedPlus
is the second largest pharmacy chain in India, operating over 4,230+ pharmacy stores across 600
cities, as of 2024.
MedPlus sells prescription and OTC medicines, FMCG products, vitamins and other nutrition
supplements, and opticals It also offers clinical laboratory services and physician consultation
services in Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Bangalore. The company owns and runs ePharmacy and an
online clinical lab service.

MedPlus was founded in 2006 by Madhukar Gangadi. The company's first store was launched
in Hyderabad Initially operating under the Aushadhi brand name, it was rebranded as MedPlus after
the opening of the first 48 stores.
The company opened pharmacies in the western states of Gujarat and Rajasthan in 2007 but had to
shut down and exit operations due to recurring losses. It relaunched stores in Ahmedabad, Gujarat in
2014.
In 2008, it opened diagnostics centers in five cities under its subsidiary MedPlus Path labs. In 2015, it
started its e-pharmacy division.
In December 2021, MedPlus Health Services launched its initial public offering (IPO) and got listed
on the Indian stock exchanges

6.Apollo pharmacy
Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited is an Indian multinational healthcare group headquartered
in Chennai. It is the largest for-profit private hospital network in India, with a network of 71 owned
and managed hospitals. Along with the eponymous hospital chain, the company also
operates pharmacies, primary care and diagnostic centres, telehealth clinics, and digital
healthcare services among others through its subsidiaries.
The company was founded by Prathap C. Reddyin 1983 as the first corporate healthcare provider in
India. Several of Apollo's hospitals have been among the first in India to receive international
healthcare accreditation by the America-based Joint Commission International (JCI) as well
as NABH accreditation

Apollo Health and Lifestyle is the primary and secondary care arm of the group which
operates multi-specialty clinics under Apollo Clinics, diagnostics and pathology labs under Apollo
Diagnostics, diabetes clinics under Apollo Sugar, dental hospitals under Apollo White, dialysis
centres under Apollo Dialysis, minimally invasive surgical hospitals under Apollo
Spectra, women/children hospitals under Apollo Cradle, and fertility clinics under Apollo Fertility
Apollo TeleHealth Services owns the telehealth network of the group, operating via a business-to-
consumer model under which it offers direct services like online consultations, appointment booking,
medicine delivery, among others; a business-to-business offering to corporates for their employees;
and a business-to-government agreement providing telehealth services in partnership teleclinics
7. Medlife
Medlife was an Indian online platform, which provided pharmacy, diagnostics, and e-consultation in
India. It was founded in 2014 by Prashant Singh and Tushar Kumar. The company had a central
laboratory based in Bangalore and operated in 29 states. In 2021, PharmEasy acquired Medlife, and
merged Midlife’s operations into its own platform.
The company started out as an online platform for medicine delivery and later expanded to offer
online doctor consultation and diagnostic services. Medlife offered one consumer-facing mobile app
for accessing all three services

8. Pharmasimple
 Pharmasimple is an online pharmacy that sells medicines, cosmetics, and food supplements in
Belgium and France. It offers various products including products for face, body, hair, baby, female
hygiene etc. It claims to have over 30,000 products online.

According to Wikipedia, Pharmasimple is an online parapharmacie based in Belgium that offers over
8,000 products for beauty, hygiene, maternity, babies, and supplements. Pharmasimple has also
negotiated with various partner laboratories.
According to Crunchbase, Pharmasimple is an online pharmacy in Belgium that has been around
since 2010. The company's name is Pharmasimple SA, and its stock symbol is
EPA:ALPHS. Pharmasimple is a for-profit company that has negotiated with partner laboratories to
offer low prices

Pharmasimple sells products such as:

 Galenco bébé cold cream

 Fleurs de bach beech
 Fleurs de Bach chestnut bud
 Fleurs de Bach pine
 Fleurs de Bach red chestnut
 Fleurs de Bach wild rose
 Phytosun Aroms Huile Essentielle Marjolaine
 Puressentiel Lentisque Pistachier Huile
9.Mrmed.in

According to Wikipedia, MrMed is India's largest online pharmacy for super specialty medicines. It
offers services like enrollment and adherence to patient assistance programs. MrMed provides
medicines for cancer, HIV/AIDS, kidney care, and hepatitis, and offers up to 85% discounts.
MrMed is India’s largest online pharmacy for super specialty medicines with a vision of creating a
patient centric, technology enabled business. MrMed goes beyond the call of a pharma marketplace
by providing several patient centric services including enrolment and adherence to patient assistance
programs. We are a cross-functional team working relentlessly to transform the Indian healthcare
ecosystem and enhance the lives of people battling with critical illnesses
10.Pulse e pharma

Pluss (rebranded from Delivery) is a mobile-based platform that enables users to order for OTC
medicines through a prescription, personal care and pet care products and get them home delivered.
The order is picked up by the company from a trusted pharmacy. Has four main product categories –
baby care, pet care, personal wellness and daily essentials. Currently operating in Delhi Gurgaon,
Noida and Hyderabad. Partnered with Patanjali Ayurveda to sell its products on the platform in Jan
2016. Founding team also founded Gigstart, which raised $255k in funding. The investors have been
carried forward to the new venture Pluss, which include Snapdeal’s co-founders Rohit Bansal &
Kunal Bahl, Indian Dream Capital and Rajesh Sawhney of GSF, Narendra Singh Rawat, TA Venture
Holding Limited, Roshan Abbas, and Anand Chandrasekaran. BITS Pilani, IIT Bombay alum.
 CHAPTER 3
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Sociological theorists have long been interested in the theory of professions and what distinguishes
them from other occupations. According to an early idealistic ‘normative’ approach to defining a
profession, values and ethical codes give the professions their key stabilizing function in society1, 2;
but this categorization of an occupation – largely based on unsubstantiated privilege granted by
society – was not deemed a sufficient measure for discriminating between occupations.3, 4 The
argument was therefore further expanded by the ‘trait’ approach to include, in addition to a code of
ethics, a combined range of defining characteristics or traits (e.g. self-regulation, training, licensing,
examinations, and professional associations)5, 6; the varied interpretations of the trait approach and
its arbitrarily set lists of criteria explain its failure to produce a consensus. 4 Interactionist views, on
the other hand, examine the dynamics of professionalism as a form of service provision rather than a
set of traits; this ‘occupational control’ approach argues that professionals deploy exclusive services
to exert market control over their occupation.3, 7, 8 Freidson proposed that in addition to this
occupational control or ‘dominance,’ ‘autonomy’– or the ability to control one's work activities – is
also needed to give professional power to an occupational group.9 Sceptics, however, attribute the
narrowing of knowledge gaps and the rise of new and highly-specialized occupations to the decline of
these professional powers.10, 11 Within the theories of professions, there appears to be no unified
holistic approach to what constitutes the professionalization of an occupation – or the process of it
becoming a profession.
Throughout these ongoing disagreements, debates and theoretical evolutions, the profession of
medicine – firmly rooted in the historic Hippocratic Oath – has always been “the example of choice
when sociological theories about the professions were discussed.”12 As the division of health care
labor progressed, the professionalization of pharmacy and other health care occupations began to
increasingly feature in such discussions.3, 13, 14 The professionalization of pharmacists is set within
the evolutionary stages of pharmacy practice models. Manufacturing, compounding and distributing
medicines were key features of practice in the 19th century; the establishment of sale and supply
restriction laws, pharmacy schools and representative associations across Europe, the U.S and Asia
signaled the start of professional regulation, official representation, and organized education of
pharmacy.15 The large loss of pharmacists' manufacturing and compounding roles to the advent of the
20th century pharmaceutical industry was coupled with the consequential loss of their social purpose
as compounders and distributers; hospital pharmacists had more varied activities but as in community
practice, the emphasis shifted to the ‘product.’16 These events coincided with pharmacy beginning to
feature in discussions – albeit with negative connotations – on sociological theories of the
professions.
Despite pharmacists gaining occupational control over their service through preventing the
unqualified from dispensing medicines, the pharmacy profession has historically been considered
subordinate to the medical profession and its professional status has often been questioned. In his
1964 essay ‘The Professionalization of Everyone?,’ Wilensky critically examines the “heroic
struggles” of some occupations to join the rank of “clearly recognized and organized” professions
and describes pharmacy as a “borderline” profession ancillary to medicine.13 Medical sociologists
Denzin and Mettlin similarly argued for the “incomplete professionalization” of pharmacists and
partly owed their allegedly failed “attempt to turn themselves from ordinary occupations into the
prestigious groupings called professions” because of their lack of control on medicine, their social
object.17 Freidson also agreed by concluding that pharmacy is “firmly subordinated to medicine” due
to the inability of pharmacists to diagnose diseases and prescribe medicines, which compromises
their professional ‘autonomy’ according to him.9 However, the provision of drug information an
dmedication counseling by community pharmacists and the addition of clinical pharmacy to hospital
settings would eventually redefine the essence of practice and somewhat neutralize the negative
effects of the manufacturing industry.16 These developments formed the backdrop to the introduction
of Hepler and Strand's concept of pharmaceutical care.18 Shortly after, Dingwall and Wilson firmly
reject Denzin and Mettlin's claims, counter-arguing that pharmacy's social object is not the medicine
itself but rather its median role for social change.19 Despite these developments, the ‘quasi’-status of
pharmacy as a profession – as defined by the traditional sense of the word – still holds in
contemporary literature.20, 21
The field of health professions is not static and shifts continuously as health care systems and the role
of health care professionals develop and adapt over time; and many of the assumptions underlying the
traditional professions theories do not survive the dynamic climate of health care. 4 Pharmacists are
continuously faced with increasingly demanding and complex health care needs and advancing
technologies, forcing them to constantly re-evaluate their current practice models and envision future
ones.22 According to Birenbaum,23 these continuous efforts to upgrade and develop the status of
pharmacy within changing health care environments is referred to as professionalization. Reform
drives in the name of professionalization have become a recurring feature in the literature; the topic is
examined through several lenses such as extending practice roles,20, 24, 25 advancing educational
models,26, 27, 28 and reviewing existing regulatory systems.29, 30 Birenbaum concedes that
theoretical frameworks “fail to recognize the interactive and contextual nature of the development of
the professions.”23 According to Annandale,31 the relationship between theory and research is also
reciprocal where “extant theories gradually fall out of fit with societies as they change and new
approaches are called for.” This presents a structural problem for research aiming to identify
challenges affecting the advancement of a profession and to assess if it's time to reprofessionalize an
occupation, without relying on or associating with ephemeral definitions that supposedly determines
its professionalization. This paper presents an alternative approach to the traditional theories of the
professions and professionalization. It describes a simple conceptual framework that redefines what
constitutes a professional arena and tests it in a case study conducted on pharmacy in Jordan.
The conceptual framework describes that in any professional arena, there is a dynamic and complex
interplay between the education, regulation and practice sectors. The framework was developed by
Rouse in his work with the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), the U.S. national
accreditation agency for pharmacy education. The conceptual framework, used widely in
presentations, was intended to depict the separation of the entities responsible for education, practice
and regulation, but at the same time the dynamic relationships that exist between the sectors, working
in collaboration to advance the profession. It was first published in Version 1 of the Global
Framework for Quality Assurance of Pharmacy Education – adopted by the International
Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) in 2008. FIP is the largest global body representing pharmacy and
pharmaceutical sciences and whose goal is to support the development of the pharmacy profession.
 CHAPTER 4
ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA
 CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMMENDATION

The recent worldwide pandemic has prompted several companies to turn to the online market. The
pharmaceutical industry is one such significant and crucial in India. There has been an upsurge in
online pharmacies throughout the Indian subcontinent over the last 3–5 years. This unique
development of online or “E-pharmacy” field has been carefully examined and presented in this
article. The distinction between online and offline pharmacies, the advantages and challenges faced
by E-pharmacies, the driving forces that led to the growth of the E-pharmacy sector in India, and the
various emerging Indian E-pharmacy companies are covered. A comprehensive review of the legal
system under which the E-pharmacy industry operates is also briefed. The reader will also learn about
the various initiatives implemented by the Government in support of the E-pharmacy sector in India.
In recent times, the demand for E-pharmacy is spiraling exponentially, especially during this
pandemic, wherein several E-pharma companies have emerged as lifelines, working unfalteringly to
extend their services to the public. At present, India has about 50+ start-ups in the E-pharmacy space
providing quality and affordable medicines to about 5,000,000 patients per month across the country.
[Major key drivers for online purchase of medicines
Retail Pharmacy vs. e-Pharmacy Chains The e-Pharmacy concept has a number of advantages over
the traditional pharmacy paradigm. Higher profit margins, greater counterfeit / counterfeit medication
detection, and better control check conformance are all advantages. A full comparison of retail
pharmacies and e-Pharmacy chains may be seen in the table below.
Citizens, health professionals, and decision makers are considering mobile applications as a helpful
tool in dealing with the pandemic's key concerns. The pandemic has benefited from the inclusion of
digital technologies into pandemic policy. Countries that have swiftly adopted digital tools to enable
planning, surveillance, testing, contact tracing, quarantine, and clinical care have remained front-
runners in managing disease burden in the fight to contain the spread of a highly transmissible virus.
As the internet becomes more widespread, enormous new opportunities for instant access to expert
advice and information from health experts emerge. Online pharmacies are quite useful in this
situation
Patients who need support with their symptoms or discuss the potential negative effects of therapies
can get it quickly and discreetly. The online doctor and pharmacist may provide expert advice, aid
with new and repeat medications, and diagnose issues. Patients with long-term diseases can also
benefit from an online pharmaceutical service, as those who require various prescriptions can receive
guidance on dose and time.
Here's a rundown of five reasons why you can rely on us:
• Quick shipping and a straightforward ordering process: Our website offers fast delivery and a
straightforward purchase process, allowing you to avoid the inconvenience of a long wait.
• One-click treatment: We want to make the best use of technology in order to promote the health
and well-being of our patients. Our medical specialists ask a series of questions to assess the situation
and then authorize a prescription for the patient. Furthermore, instant access to a pharmacist by
phone, email, or chat is available.
• Professional advice and guidance: We provide immediate access to specialist services, physicians,
and pharmacy experts.
• Extremely practical: Our website has some of the cheapest deals on drugs, as well as excellent
customer service. We provide a large selection of both branded and non-branded items.
• Discreet services: Some individuals prefer to buy their therapy online, or merely want to talk to
someone about it.
The operation of e-pharmacy websites and the sale of internet pharmaceuticals in India is not
prohibited, according to the debate above. It is clearly covered under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act
and the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules. The only worry for internet pharmacies is compliance with
applicable laws. The subcommittee's draught report makes it plain that opioids, tranquillizers, and
Schedule X medications that are prone to misuse should be kept out of the reach of e-pharmacy
dealers. Customers may get their medications quickly and safely through e-pharmacy. This has the
problem of allowing clients to experiment with self-medication, which might be harmful to their
health. The most pressing requirement is to see if the subcommittee's recommendations are included
into the legislation through amendment, putting an end to the conflict between traditional and internet
pharmacies
Information and Time Management - Information and time management is one of the most common
uses of mobile devices by HCPs. and Notability, enable users to write or dictate notes, record audio,
store photographs, and organize material into categories within a searchable electronic database.
Health Record Access and Maintenance — Apps that help with data collection and retrieval, such as
inputting information into a patient's EHR or EMR, are also available. HCP administration of EHRs
and PACSs is common in hospital information systems, allowing secure access to patient information
(medical history, vitals, medications, lab results, x-rays, scans, consultations, and discharge notes) on
site or remotely. Communication and Consulting -Mobile devices have been shown to increase
communication and consultation between HCPs and their colleagues. Mobile phones were shown to
increase communication between doctors and nurses on inpatient wards in one research. More than
80% of medical school HCPs and students said they used mobile devices to interact with colleagues
regarding patient care via e-mail, phone, and text messaging in a poll. Texting, they said, is a more
efficient mode of communication than phone calls or in-person meetings. Mobile devices also allow
users to respond quickly to emails, helping them to stay on top of communication. Mobile devices
also allow users to respond quickly to e-mails, helping them to stay on top of communication. In
emergency situations, texting or phoning colleagues directly on their mobile devices, rather than
paging them, has been found to save time. HCPs may also employ mobile devices to help long-
distance patients by allowing them to communicate or share photographs about difficulties or queries.
Reference and Information Gathering – HCPs can utilize mobile devices to search for and access
medical literature, as well as other information sources. Mobile devices were often used to view
medical journal websites (60 percent) or medical news online, according to a study of medical school
HCPs and students (74 percent). Several medical publications, including the New England Journal of
Medicine, The Lancet, and the BMJ (previously the British Medical Journal), provide applications
that allow you to read articles on your phone or tablet. Journals, on the other hand, seldom allow free
access to articles without a membership.
Patient Management - Mobile devices have already shown to be a useful choice for remotely
monitoring the health or whereabouts of people with chronic diseases or disorders. Apps for mobile
devices can help with public health surveillance, community data gathering, and assisting
handicapped people in living independently. A single-lead electrocardiograph (ECG) was connected
to a smart phone in one research to diagnose and track the treatment of sleep apnea patients, offering
a potential alternative to costly and time-consuming polysomnography. Sensors linked to clothing
that interact with mobile devices have also been used to monitor and gather medical data on
chronically unwell elderly individuals remotely.
When we have enough essential employees to operate the firm, we will pilot it in Dhaka for a week.
Then we'll spread out across the country. That may need the involvement of investors. However, we
shall start with money from our own pockets. The money generated from the sale of the items will
ensure the system's long-term viability. Because of the high demand for the COVID-19, it is expected
that this system will last on the market. We'll look for sponsors to help us communicate our business
strategy with investors, who could see value in it and decide to invest. Then, in order to attract
additional customers, we will advertise our service.
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