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Apothecare Specialities Private Limited
Version 1.0 | Effective from 05.10.2026
This Disclaimer and Medical Information Policy ("Policy") sets out the boundaries between the commercial and dispensing relationship that you have with Apothecare Specialities Private Limited ("Apothecare", "the Company", "we", "us", or "our") on the one hand, and the clinical relationship that you have with your treating Registered Medical Practitioner on the other. This Policy forms part of the Master Terms and Conditions and stands incorporated therein by reference.
1.1 Apothecare operates as a wholesale and retail pharmaceutical distributor with a hybrid offline B2B and online specialty pharmaceutical platform, in lawful compliance with the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, the Pharmacy Act, 1948, the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the rules thereunder, the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025, and all other applicable statutory and regulatory frameworks.
1.2 The purpose of this Policy is to state, clearly and unambiguously, that the Company is a licensed wholesale and retail pharmaceutical distributor which dispenses Prescription Drugs against valid Prescriptions and sells other Products, and is not a healthcare provider; that no doctor-patient relationship arises between the Company (or its Qualified Person) and any User; and that content made available on the Platform is informational in nature and is not a substitute for individualised medical advice from a qualified physician.
1.3 This Policy applies to every User of the Platform, whether a Consumer or a B2B Customer, and to every category of Product listed on the Platform, including Prescription Drugs, over-the-counter medicines, nutraceuticals, cosmetics and medical devices.
1.4 This Policy is intended to be read together with the Company's Prescription Verification Policy, which governs the manner in which Prescriptions are verified before dispensation, and with the Company's internal content-review procedure, under which informational content is sourced and reviewed before it is published on the Platform.
1.5 Nothing in this Policy shall be construed as diminishing any statutory obligation of the Company as a licensed dealer in drugs, including its obligations under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945; this Policy addresses the separate and distinct question of the informational and advisory boundaries of the Company's role, as distinct from a treating physician's role.
1.6 This Policy does not purport to be an exhaustive statement of every disclaimer applicable to the Platform; other disclaimers of a general commercial nature (such as disclaimers relating to pricing errors, stock availability or delivery timelines) are addressed in the Master Terms and Conditions and are not repeated here.
2.1 In this Policy:
3.1 The Company is a regulated wholesale and retail pharmaceutical distributor with a hybrid offline B2B and online specialty pharmaceutical platform. The Company is not a hospital, clinic, telemedicine provider or healthcare provider, and no doctor-patient relationship, physician-patient relationship or equivalent clinical relationship is created, or is to be inferred as created, between the Company (including its Qualified Person, its pharmacy personnel or any other employee, officer or agent of the Company) and any User by reason of the User's access to or use of the Platform, or by reason of any communication between the User and the Company.
3.2 The Qualified Person's role in relation to a Prescription Drug is limited to dispensing verification in accordance with the Company's Prescription Verification Policy, namely the verification of the Prescription against the requirements of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, the confirmation of the prescriber's registration and specialty, and the professional judgement exercised by a registered pharmacist in the course of dispensation under the Pharmacy Practice Regulations, 2015. The exercise of this dispensing-verification function does not constitute, and shall not be construed as, the giving of medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
3.3 Any interaction that a User may have with the Qualified Person or other pharmacy personnel of the Company, whether through the Platform, by telephone or in person, is in the nature of pharmacist-to-patient counselling ancillary to dispensation (such as directions for use, storage conditions or common side effects), and is not a substitute for, and does not constitute, consultation with a Registered Medical Practitioner.
3.4 Dispensing against a valid Prescription does not transfer to the Company, or to its Qualified Person, the clinical responsibility of the prescribing Registered Medical Practitioner for the diagnosis, the choice of treatment or the dosage prescribed.
3.5 A User who requires diagnosis, clinical assessment, a change in treatment, or advice on the suitability of a particular Product for the User's individual condition, is advised to consult a Registered Medical Practitioner, and the Company shall not be responsible for any decision taken by a User in the absence of such consultation.
3.6 The absence of a doctor-patient relationship applies equally to communications exchanged between a User and the Company's customer-support personnel, and to any automated or templated response generated through the Platform (including any chatbot or frequently-asked-questions interface), none of which shall be construed as clinical advice.
3.7 Where the Platform displays a badge, timeline status or similar indicator describing a Prescription as "QP Verified" or using equivalent language, such indicator communicates only that the dispensing-verification steps under the Prescription Verification Policy have been completed, and does not communicate any clinical endorsement of the underlying Prescription or the treatment it reflects.
4.1 Medical Information published on the Platform, including product descriptions, indications, dosage information, package inserts and general health-related articles, is provided for general informational purposes only and is not, and shall not be treated as, medical advice, diagnosis or treatment recommendation.
4.2 Medical Information on the Platform is sourced, reviewed and published in accordance with the Company's internal content-review procedure, and while the Company shall endeavour to ensure that such information is accurate as on the date of publication, the Company does not warrant that such information is complete, current or applicable to any individual User's particular circumstances.
4.3 A User shall not rely on Medical Information published on the Platform as a substitute for consultation with, diagnosis by, or treatment prescribed by a Registered Medical Practitioner, and shall independently verify any Medical Information relevant to the User's treatment with the User's treating physician before acting upon it.
4.4 Medical Information relating to the Company's specialty GLP-1 receptor agonist product range shall be reviewed with particular care given the clinical significance of correct dosing and titration information, but such heightened editorial care does not alter the fundamental character of the information as general and informational rather than individualised medical advice.
4.5 A User shall not use Medical Information published on the Platform to self-diagnose, to self-prescribe, to alter a dosage prescribed by a Registered Medical Practitioner, or to determine the suitability of switching between different Prescription Drugs without the involvement of the User's treating Registered Medical Practitioner.
5.1 A User may, where the Platform provides such a facility, seek a consultation with the Qualified Person or other pharmacy personnel of the Company in connection with a Product listed on the Platform.
5.2 In the course of such consultation, the Qualified Person may discuss matters properly within the professional competence of a registered pharmacist under the Pharmacy Practice Regulations, 2015, including (a) directions for the correct use and administration of a Product, (b) storage and handling conditions (including cold-chain requirements), (c) common and known side effects as recorded in the manufacturer's package insert, (d) the process for reporting an Adverse Drug Reaction, and (e) the status of verification of a Prescription tendered by the User.
5.3 The Qualified Person shall not, in the course of any such consultation, (a) diagnose any medical condition, (b) alter, substitute or countermand the dosage, frequency or drug specified in a Prescription issued by a Registered Medical Practitioner, (c) recommend a Prescription Drug to a User in the absence of a valid Prescription, or (d) offer an opinion on the clinical suitability of a course of treatment for the User's individual condition. Where a query calls for clinical assessment, the Qualified Person shall decline to answer and advise the User to consult a Registered Medical Practitioner.
5.4 The Qualified Person retains the right, in the exercise of independent professional judgement under the Pharmacy Practice Regulations, 2015, to refuse to dispense a Product notwithstanding the tender of an apparently valid Prescription, where the Qualified Person forms a bona fide professional view that dispensation would not be safe.
6.1 The Company participates in, and supports, the Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (PvPI) for the reporting and monitoring of Adverse Drug Reactions.
6.2 A User who experiences, or suspects, an Adverse Drug Reaction to any Product supplied by the Company is requested to report the same promptly (a) to the User's treating Registered Medical Practitioner, (b) to the Company at pharmacovigilance@apothecare.in, and/or (c) directly to the nearest Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring Centre under the Pharmacovigilance Programme of India.
6.3 Upon receipt of a report, the Company records the particulars and undertakes onward reporting to the Pharmacovigilance Programme of India where warranted under applicable law. Such onward reporting is undertaken as regulatory good practice and does not constitute an admission of defect or fault.
7.1 A Prescription Drug supplied by the Company shall be used strictly in accordance with the Prescription issued by the User's treating Registered Medical Practitioner. Any Off-Label Use of a Product is undertaken solely upon the instruction and clinical responsibility of the prescribing Registered Medical Practitioner, and the Company assumes no responsibility for the clinical appropriateness of an Off-Label Use.
7.2 It is the User's responsibility to disclose to the treating Registered Medical Practitioner, fully and accurately, all medications, medical conditions, allergies and known Contraindications.
7.3 Prescription verification confirms statutory validity and dispensing safety apparent on the face of the prescription; it does not extend to an independent clinical review of every possible Drug Interaction or Contraindication arising from undisclosed medications or conditions. The Company disclaims liability for any adverse outcome arising from undisclosed medical history, save where non-waivable by law.
8.1 Consistently with the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 and the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, the Company does not advertise, promote, place banner advertisements for, or push notifications in respect of, any drug specified under Schedule H, Schedule H1 or Schedule X.
8.2 Product listings for Schedule H and Schedule H1 drugs on the Platform are maintained solely for informational and dispensing purposes to enable a User holding a valid Prescription to locate and order the required medicine, and do not constitute promotion or solicitation. Medicines under Schedule X are not offered on the Platform.
9.1 Medical Information published on the Platform is drawn from, and attributable to:
9.2 The Company does not publish unverified internet claims, social media advice, or anecdotal testimonials.
10.1 The Platform is not designed, and shall not be used, for the reporting or management of a medical emergency.
10.2 A User experiencing a medical emergency, including a severe Adverse Drug Reaction, is instructed to contact his or her physician immediately or to call 108 (the national emergency ambulance service) or applicable emergency numbers, and to proceed to the nearest hospital emergency department without delay.
10.3 Order-fulfilment timelines on the Platform are not designed for emergency or time-critical clinical needs; urgent clinical requirements should be met through conventional local emergency or hospital-pharmacy channels.
11.1 Hyperlinks to third-party websites or external resources are provided solely for convenience. The Company does not control and is not responsible for the accuracy or currency of third-party content.
11.2 The Company's role regarding third-party content is governed by Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
12.1 The Company does not guarantee, warrant or represent any particular therapeutic outcome, rate of efficacy, or result from the use of any Product supplied through the Platform.
12.2 Individual clinical response varies according to patient physiology, concurrent conditions, adherence and lifestyle factors. The Company shall not be liable for any unmet therapeutic expectations where the Product has been dispensed strictly in accordance with a validly verified Prescription and the manufacturer's approved labelling.
12.3 Nothing in this section limits statutory liability for defective products or negligence in dispensation under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 or the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
13.1 This Policy is governed by the laws of India, subject to the jurisdiction of the courts at Bengaluru, Karnataka and the statutory rights of consumers under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.