While the government is yet to come up with concrete regulations for the new age e-pharmacies and courts are giving conflicting verdicts in favour and against the running of such pharmacies citing decades-old drug laws, a consolidation phase has begun in the world of mushrooming e-pharmacies in India. Chennai based Netmeds.com acquired health-tech start-up KiViHealth, a clinic management platform providing cloud-based AI-powered tools for doctor-patient interaction, in a cash and stock deal. Online e-pharmacy company Medlife had acquired Mumbai-based digital healthcare platform and ‘diagnostics at home’ services start-up MedLabz. Another Delhi-based leading e-pharmacy, 1mg had acquired Varanasi-based healthcare platform Dawailelo, which connects medical stores, doctors and pathology labs through its website and apps. A Frost & Sullivan report on e-pharmacies in India says the market size of e-pharmacies is estimated to be around $512 million (Rs.3,500 crore) in 2018. It predicts a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 63 per cent to reach $3.6 billion (Rs.25,000 crore) by 2022.

(Business Today)