The Bangalore District Chemists and Druggists Association (BDCDA) has raised serious concerns over health-tech startups Blupack and PillUp for allegedly tampering with and repacking prescription medicines. In a letter to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), the association highlighted violations of key provisions under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, calling such practices unsafe, unethical, and illegal. The group warns that tampering with statutory packaging without proper licenses risks drug stability, compromises patient safety, and misleads the public under the guise of tech innovation. National-level support for the protest has also come from AIOCD, India’s apex body of chemists.

Key highlights

Startups accused of repacking drugs without licenses

• Blupack and PillUp allegedly remove statutory labels, expiry dates, batch numbers, and warnings.

• Repacking operations conducted in unlicensed, non-GMP-compliant environments.

• Violations of Rule 96, Rule 97, and Schedule P1 under Drugs & Cosmetics Rules cited.

Public health and patient safety concerns raised

• Repacked medicines may face contamination, loss of potency, and storage instability.

• Label tampering undermines dosage traceability and prescription integrity.

• BDCDA says these acts “threaten India’s pharmacy credibility on the global stage.”

BDCDA calls out misrepresentation as ‘tech innovation’

• Startups misleading consumers by branding illegal practices as patient-centric solutions.

• Traditional chemists feel wrongfully portrayed as regressive despite legal compliance.

• Ethics-driven pharmacy community being sidelined by unregulated online sales.

Demand for urgent regulatory action

• AIOCD has already flagged PillUp’s practices at the national level.

• BDCDA urges DCGI and state regulators to stop these operations immediately.

• Calls for a clear legal framework to govern e-pharmacies and protect patient rights.

As India’s pharma sector walks a tightrope between innovation and regulation, chemist associations are urging authorities to draw a clear line between ethical disruption and unlawful practices. The backlash against startups like Blupack and PillUp underlines the growing tension between traditional pharmacy norms and unchecked tech-led models with patient safety at the center of the storm.