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Zepto to deliver medicines in minutes—is quick commerce ready for healthcare?

Zepto co-founder and CEO Aadit Palicha announced Zepto's foray into 10-minute delivery of medicines on Thursday. But can it overcome the existing challenges of India's online pharmacy sector?

By Naini Thaker Forbes India Staff

Published: Aug 8, 2025 04:40:04 PM IST

Updated: Aug 8, 2025 04:55:13 PM IST

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Kaivalya Vohra and Aadit Palicha co-founders Zepto. Image: Mexy Xavier

In the race to deliver groceries in minutes, quick commerce players have long relied on speed as their biggest differentiator. Now, they’re applying that same urgency to a far more sensitive category: Medicines.

“Today, we're formally announcing the launch of Zepto Pharmacy—medicines delivered in 10 minutes. This pharmacy service is now live in select areas of Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, and Hyderabad,” Aadit Palicha, co-founder and CEO, Zepto, wrote on LinkedIn on August 7. Zepto joins the likes of Eternal-owned Blinkit and Swiggy, that have been exploring “quick commerce healthcare”.

In July 2025, Blinkit started delivery of prescription medicines in select areas in Bengaluru. This was in addition to the over-the-counter (OTC) medicines already available. Swiggy partnered with Pharmeasy in 2024 to offer medicine deliveries in 10 minutes. Tata’s e-pharmacy 1mg is reportedly teaming up with BigBasket (BB Now) to start medicine deliveries. Similarly, Apollo 24/7, the digital health arm of Apollo Hospitals, is increasingly feeling the heat from quick commerce platforms that offer ultra-fast delivery of household essentials, OTC medicines, and FMCG products—often in under 20 minutes.

But delivering medicines in 10 minutes isn’t just a logistical challenge, it is a regulatory and ethical one. As Zepto joins the likes of Blinkit and Swiggy in exploring “quick healthcare”, the question isn’t just whether they can do it fast—but whether they can do it right.

Regulations and risks

“I think pharmacy is a difficult market and implementing in a Qcomm model would be difficult considering the large number of SKUs (brand, molecule strength). They may be able to do OTC stuff, that may be easier to execute, but prescription can be challenging,” says Vishal Manchanda, senior vice president, Institutional Research, Systematix Group.

Reports suggest that the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) has also expressed concerns about 10-minute medicine deliveries on the grounds that it can violate Indian drug regulations and pose health risks.

Opportunity for growth

According to a Crisil report, e-pharmacies currently account for just 3–5 percent of India’s Rs 2.4 lakh crore retail pharmaceutical market—far behind the 22–25 percent penetration seen in some developed countries. Clearly, there is scope for a lot more growth. The report also highlights that the unorganised sector continues to dominate, comprising nearly 85 percent of the market.

With Zepto eyeing a public listing in 2026, pharmacy adds depth to its business model and opens up a high-margin, high-frequency category. Zepto’s dark store network, real-time inventory systems, and logistics expertise give it a head start in managing sensitive deliveries. If they can maintain compliance and reliability, it could elevate its brand beyond convenience.

“Over the past 12 months, the team has worked tirelessly to perfect the customer experience, supply chain, and compliance at a small scale, and we want to grow it steadily from here. Our objective is to keep operational standards extremely high and not scale too rapidly given the complexity of this category,” stated Palicha.

Also read: From Zepto to Razorpay and more: Do Indian startups have what it takes to become global tech giants?

Quick deliveries of medicines can definitely provide more accessibility. But mainly in metro cities. Penetrating further in tier 2 and 3 cities will remain a challenge. Another key challenge that Qcomm players are dealing with is counterfeit drugs. Industry experts believe building trust will require transparency and partnerships with certified pharmacists.

In this, and regulatory compliance, Swiggy had a head-start. Since the Bengaluru-based company partnered with an e-pharmacy company it did not require additional regulatory permissions for its pharmacy foray.

Challenges of scaling up

While average order values for medicines tend to be higher—typically ranging between Rs 800 and Rs 1,200—this does not automatically translate to strong margins. The profitability of online pharmacy hinges on two key factors: Repeat purchases and logistics efficiency. Experts believe that quick commerce platforms must balance speed with safety, which can strain margins if not scaled carefully. The challenge is to optimise delivery routes, inventory stocking and fulfilment centers while maintaining strict quality controls.