New Delhi: Patients across the country may face disruption in regular medicine purchases on May 20 as over 12.4 lakh drug sellers prepare for a nationwide strike against online medicine sales and heavy discounting by e-pharmacy platforms.The All India Organization of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) said the protest was aimed at highlighting the risks to patient safety posed by unregulated online sale of medicines. The association alleged that medicines were being distributed without proper verification, allowing repeated use of prescriptions and easy access to antibiotics and habit-forming drugs. It warned that AI-generated counterfeit prescriptions and unregulated drug sales could fuel antimicrobial resistance (AMR).The body also opposed the continuation of Covid-era relaxations under GSR 220(E), alleging that digital platforms were using the temporary provisions to circumvent safeguards under the drug rules. It demanded withdrawal of both GSR 220 (E) and GSR 817 (E) related to e-pharmacy operations.Retail pharmacists said deep discounting by large online platforms is threatening the existence of neighborhood drug sellers, especially in rural and semi-urban areas where local pharmacies remain the first point of health care access. The association claimed that around five crore people dependent on the pharmaceutical trade could be affected.AIOCD president JS Shinde and general secretary Rajeev Singhal said the issue was “not just a trade matter, but a matter of patient safety”, warning that the agitation could intensify if no action was taken before May 20.Drug dealer associations said emergency medicines would be available in many areas during the bandh.