Highlighting the proliferation of “psychologically manipulative, anti-competitive and legally non-compliant” pharmaceutical advertising campaigns being run on social media by unregulated online medicine sellers and retail chains, the Bangalore District Chemists and Druggists Association (BCDCA) has complained to the Competition Commission of India (CCI) seeking a comprehensive probe.
In a representation submitted to the CCI chairperson Ravneet Kaur on July 3, 2025, the chemists body has said such advertising campaigns mislead consumers and exploit emotions while promoting irrational medicine use. Such campaigns also undermine regulated pharmacy practice – fueling antimicrobial resistance and endangering public health, the representation stated.
“The CCI should take suo motu cognizance of the grave and growing menace posed by unregulated pharmaceutical advertisements, deceptive discounting strategies, and algorithm-driven predatory pricing on social media and digital platforms. These practices are not merely anti-competitive – they represent a direct assault on public health, patient safety, and ethical pharmacy practice across our nation,” the representation stated.
What are the laws around drug advertisements?
The Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954, regulates the advertisements of drugs in the country. Chemists however point out that over the course of the last two decades, digital advertisements, especially on social media, have mushroomed, unchecked, and the law has failed to keep pace. These advertisements have a wide reach, and with the content unregulated, could pose a serious risk to public health through incomplete, misleading or less-than-accurate information, they point out.
“We appeal to the CCI chairperson to conduct a detailed legal investigation into the functioning, algorithms, and pricing models of unregulated digital medicine sellers and retail chains of medical stores and their affiliated advertising networks,” BDCDA president B. Thirunavukkarasu told The Hindu on Friday, July 4.
Pointing out that licensed pharmacists are professionally trained health custodians, he said their roles must not be undermined by “algorithmic advertisements and discount-hunting psychology” engineered by tech platforms. “Each manipulated advertisement damages not just reputations, but real lives,” he asserted.
Fueling the growing burden of AMR
The problem with these advertisements, are especially acute when it comes to Schedule H and H1 drugs. Schedule H drugs are prescription-only drugs that cannot be sold over the counter. Reports indicate the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) is planning an overhaul of this list, to update it with new medications and formulations that have come into the market. Schedule H1 drugs are certain drugs that can also only be sold on the basis of a valid prescription. Schedule H1 was brought in by the Centre in 2014, to monitor the use of certain antibiotics to curb the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Schedule H1 drugs include third and fourth-generation antibiotics, anti-TB drugs and psychotropic drugs among others.
Advertisements of such drugs, chemists point out, undermine the purpose of Schedule H1. Experts say AMR has grown into a massive public health threat in India. Apart from AMR, advertisements could lead to customers attempting to purchase such drugs without prescriptions or use them without the supervision of a doctor, they say.
What these advertising promotions say
Elaborating on such unregulated advertisements, Mr. Thirunavukkarasu said these digital advertisements employ emotional bait, fear triggers, urgency language, financial anxiety and brand dilution to manipulate consumer behaviour.
Enclosing screen shots of the “manipulative violations” by the online sellers in the representation, he said: “Advertising of prescription (Schedule H) medicines, defaming and brand dilution and anti-comparative violations are common. For example, one clear violation by a particular online seller bypasses prescription via teleconsultation. It encourages substitute selections of medicines even without a valid prescription, offering free teleconsultations to legitimise self-guided medicine ordering.”
Another advertisement saying, “Double Tested Direct Factory Products” creates a false psychological assurance of clinical superiority without offering clinical trial data or regulatory validation. Medical professionals are also used commonly for marketing visuals. Leveraging a doctor’s image in retail online promotions blurs the line between ethical prescription and product endorsement, inducing misplaced trust and bypassing professional consultation.
Several such online promotions offer “50–80% discounts” “Order Now,” “Flat 50% OFF” triggering extreme financial comparison bias, “ Zero-Cost Marketing Claims (“No Marketing/ Distribution/ Retailing Cost)”, “Limited Period Subscription Offer @ ₹50” inducing fear of missing out (FOMO) buying behaviour, WhatsApp-based ordering with “Send Prescription” callouts encouraging casual prescription sharing via social chat apps, weakening the seriousness of pharmacist validation and trivialising medical regulations, he said.
Apart from that, “Instant Delivery” and and “24×7 Delivery” promise, potentially convincing patients to prioritise speed over safety—even for Schedule H or chronic-condition medications that require counselling or clinical checks; false authority messaging with phrases such as “Doctor Approved,” and “Top Substitute” simulate clinical legitimacy to influence trust, without citing regulatory backing or prescriber involvement, he explained.
Messages such as “Stop spending your retirement fund on medicines” directly exploits financial anxiety in senior citizens—nudging them toward self-substitution and over-dependence on app-based platforms, he pointed out.
Dedicated action
“For decades, brick-and-mortar medical stores have functioned under stringent regulatory oversight—dispensing medicines strictly against valid prescriptions issued by Registered Medical Practitioners (RMPs) and duly stamping them in compliance with Rule 65(II)(C) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945. This vital safeguard ensures accountability, auditability, and patient safety. In stark contrast, the digital advertising ecosystem – now saturated with mobile apps and social media influencers – operates without these essential regulatory checks, freely promoting and facilitating medicine sales without professional oversight,” the representation stated.
“We want the CCI to set up a dedicated ‘Social Media and Digital Platform Monitoring Cell’ to check the unregulated advertisement campaigns on social media. The cell should comprise representatives from the Narcotics Control Bureau, Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, Department of Consumer Affairs, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority, Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), State Food Safety and Drug Administration and Pharmacy Council of India (PCI),” Mr. Thirunavukkarasu said.
“This cell should be empowered with real-time surveillance, penal enforcement powers, and regulatory oversight capabilities to combat and dismantle what now amounts to ‘National Public Health Terrorism’ – where commercial digital platforms, for profit, are compromising the very sanctity of ethical healthcare delivery,” he asserted.
Demanding that legal proceedings be initiated and interim restraint orders be issued against the violators, Mr. Thirunavukkarasu said: “The CCI should recommend or direct the immediate suspension of advertisement campaigns involving Schedule H/H1 medicines lacking proper prescription safeguards. It should also mandate the enforcement of standardised public health disclaimers across all digital medicine-related advertisements.”
