India Pharma Outlook Team | Friday, 08 August 2025
Zepto, quick commerce leader has now entered the pharmacy retail space with Zepto Pharmacy and is promoting 10-minute medicine delivery in select metropolitan markets. The service is launching in parts of Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, and Hyderabad, according to Co-Founder and CEO Aadit Palicha.
The service is launching after 12 months of piloting, during which time the company had focusing on optimizing its supply chain, solidifying compliance processes, and enhancing customer experience. Palicha said, given the operational and regulatory complexity of pharmaceutical distribution, the plan is to scale this service gradually.
"We want to bring you critical medicines in 10 minutes with the best operation and compliance," he said. "If we do this well, we will provide meaningful access to critical healthcare products for millions of customers."
Zepto's move into e-pharmacy will now compete directly with established players like Tata 1mg, PharmEasy, Apollo 24/7 and the other rapid deliveries platforms that are getting into healthcare delivery.
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The release indicates an overall trend in the pharmaceutical industry, with digital platforms combining last-mile delivery approaches with healthcare access. Fast delivery of medications could benefit patients with ongoing medications and chronic diseases, prescriptions needed on an urgent basis, and time-sensitive health needs.
Still, the e-pharmacy section is heavily regulated, and compliance requires regulating the norms for compliance with prescriptions, storage requirements, and distribution norms. Zepto also stated that strict compliance will be a core part of its growth strategy in this category.
There has been a rising trend for convenient and timely access to medicines, and Zepto's entrance into e-pharmacy could change the competitive landscape of the online retail market of healthcare in India.
