Prescription for Abuse: How AI-Generated Scripts Are Fueling India’s Drug Safety Crisis

In a startling warning to the Centre, the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) has flagged the rapid rise of AI-generated fake prescriptions being used to illegally procure restricted medicines across India. In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the body representing lakhs of chemists alleged that digital tools powered by artificial intelligence are being misused to fabricate seemingly authentic medical prescriptions, enabling the purchase of habit-forming and scheduled drugs without proper medical supervision.

The AIOCD has urged immediate regulatory intervention, warning that the unchecked spread of forged e-prescriptions exposes glaring loopholes in India’s evolving e-pharmacy ecosystem. Chemists report growing difficulty in distinguishing legitimate digital prescriptions from AI-generated fakes, particularly when they carry fabricated registration numbers and cloned doctor identities.

The organisation cautioned that beyond regulatory non-compliance, the trend poses grave public health risks. Easy access to restricted medicines, including antibiotics and psychotropic substances, could accelerate drug resistance, addiction, and black-market circulation.

Calling for tighter verification protocols and stronger digital authentication systems, the AIOCD has pressed the government to act swiftly before technological misuse deepens an already fragile drug-control framework.