Competitor Zepto joins the digital pharmacy market race
In a significant shift for India's quick commerce sector, major players like Zepto, Blinkit, and Swiggy are venturing into the prescription drug delivery space. This move coincides with a growing interest from quick commerce platforms in expanding into prescription drug delivery.
On August 8, 2025, Zepto officially launched Zepto Pharmacy, a 10-minute medicine delivery service. The company, led by CEO and Co-founder Aadit Palicha, has been operating the service at a small scale before its official launch. Zepto emphasizes maintaining very high operational standards and cautious, slow scaling due to the regulatory complexity of prescription medicines. The delivered prescriptions are packaged in tamper-proof packaging to ensure safety, and the service is currently live in select areas of Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, and Hyderabad.
To assist customers without readily available prescriptions, Blinkit has introduced free doctor consultations. Blinkit has started piloting its prescription medicine delivery service in select Bengaluru pin codes, offering a range of medicines including antibiotics and diabetes drugs, with delivery times between 10–30 minutes. The company maintains evolving compliance with epharmacy sector regulations and integrates related healthcare services such as a 10-minute ambulance service.
Swiggy has entered the prescription drug delivery space through a strategic partnership with PharmEasy, integrating prescription medicines into its platform using a shop-in-shop model. This approach leverages PharmEasy’s licensed pharmacy infrastructure, helping Swiggy comply with regulations and build trust.
All these companies acknowledge the high regulatory burden in the online pharmacy market, including the need for valid prescriptions verified before dispensing, compliance with drug safety and storage norms, collaborations with licensed pharmacists and healthcare providers, and the implementation of telemedicine consultations to ensure medical oversight where needed.
This careful and stepwise approach enables rapid delivery while conforming to Indian pharmaceutical regulations. The epharmacy market in India is expanding rapidly, and these platforms are positioning themselves to capture this growing opportunity while managing compliance risks.
[1] Source: Blinkit Press Release, August 8, 2025 [2] Source: Swiggy Press Release, August 8, 2025 [3] Source: Zepto Pharmacy FAQ, August 8, 2025 [4] Source: Indian Pharmacy Regulatory Guidelines, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India [5] Source: Quick Commerce Platforms and Prescription Drug Delivery in India, McKinsey & Company, July 2025
In the realm of quick commerce, Zepto, Blinkit, and Swiggy have ventured into the prescription drug delivery space, integrating smart-home-devices and other technology to ensure live, efficient services. Zepto Pharmacy, operated by Aadit Palicha, emphasizes the importance of safety through tamper-proof packaging and regulatory compliance. To support customers without prescriptions, Blinkit offers free doctor consultations, delivering a range of medicines within 10–30 minutes. Swiggy partners with PharmEasy, utilizing its licensed pharmacy infrastructure to maintain compliance with regulations and build trust. As the epharmacy market in India expands, these platforms prioritize managing compliance risks while capturing growing opportunities. [1 – 5]
