Amazon India diverts into online medicines sales

Amazon India has opened a digital pharmacy trading in Bangalore in an attempt to grow its market reach in the highly competitive territory.

The new Amazon Pharmacy service extends the firm’s online offer by trading in prescription and over-the-counter drugs, in a region where restricted medicines can often be purchased without evidence of the prescription. The firm will also trade in traditional remedies and health devices.

India’s online medications industry operates in an environment where regulations are unclear, and where numerous startup-level firms are operating on a local scale. Amazon moved into the sector in its home market two years ago, purchasing American online pharmacy Pillpack.

Amazon has recently expanded into food delivery, liquor trading and automobile insurance within the Indian market as part of its expansion moves.