Shimla, May 21 -- More than 10,000 chemist shops across Himachal Pradesh remained closed on Wednesday as pharmacists and drug retailers joined the nationwide strike call given by the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) against online sale of medicines and alleged regulatory relaxations being extended to e-pharmacy companies. Despite the strike, government-run pharmacies and hospital medical stores continued functioning normally in Shimla, including those at Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital and Ripon Hospital, limiting inconvenience to patients. Some private chemists also opened stores in emergency cases. The chemist associations have alleged that several online platforms are selling medicines without valid prescriptions and offering big discounts, affecting traditional medical stores and posing risks to patient safety. They also claimed the issue had been repeatedly raised with the Centre and Union health minister Jagat Prakash Nadda, but no action had been taken so far. Himachal Pradesh Society of Chemists and Druggists president Sandeep Pandit said, "There are around 12.5 lakh chemist shops across India and nearly 10,000 in Himachal Pradesh. All private chemist shops across the state had remained shut in support of the protest, while emergency medical services were maintained"....