A prescription for speed: How e-pharmacies aim to transform medicine delivery
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India's quick commerce revolution that swept up groceries to gadgets and posed a stiff challenge to retail chains and kirana shops in barely three years is now lapping at a new frontier: Medicine delivery. Tata 1mg, PharmEasy, and Apollo 24/7 are piloting ultra-fast medicine delivery services, according to key executives at these firms.
Leveraging partnerships and advanced logistics, these companies aim to offer prescriptions as quickly as groceries or gadgets—potentially reshaping healthcare accessibility. Tata Digital-owned 1mg is teaming up with BigBasket to test quick medicine delivery in select cities by December. “We will pilot in a couple of cities by end December-early January and roll out to all cities by end January," Hari Menon, co-founder and CEO of BigBasket, told Mint in an emailed response.
Tata 1mg currently offers prescription and over-the-counter medicines, along with doctor consults and lab tests. A senior executive from Tata 1mg said that the platform currently delivers medicines in 30-60 minutes from its retail stores in Gurugram. Additionally, quick lab tests for fever panels are available in select cities.
“For fever panels, consumers need to know the soonest to determine the course of treatment, so quicker service does help them. Consequently, we are seeing a significant uptake of such services," the executive said. Apollo 24/7, too, has introduced a faster delivery pilot in major markets includin Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru.
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