Online pharmacies

A surprising amount of online pharmacies are unregistered and buying from them is potentially unsafe - find out the risks involved

One of the fastest growing dangers of the internet is the ease with which people can buy prescription only drugs online.

While the internet is home to many legitimate pharmacies, it is also home to a growing number of pharmacies that operate illegally selling drugs to anyone willing to pay for them.

Buying drugs from an internet pharmacy

UK doctors and pharmacists have to follow certain laws and a code of ethics.  This ensures that they take medicines safely and correctly. 

But internet pharmacies may not follow these rules, especially if they are not in the UK.  This can mean you have much less protection and there is a risk that you could be sold fake drugs or drugs that might harm you.

Getting prescription medicines from UK pharmacies

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) control drugs sales in the UK.  Pharmacies in the UK have to follow the standards and code of ethics of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB).

But internet pharmacies may not be registered with the RPSGB.  If they are not based in the UK, their drugs won't come under the MHRA.  This means that there are no guarantees that any medicine they sell you is safe for you to take.

Safety concerns

Buying medicines on the internet can be harmful because you can't always be sure what you are getting.  Drugs made and sold over the internet may not have been checked to see if they contain the right dose of the right drug, for example.

Drugs ordered over the internet from an unregistered website could also be out-of-date, diluted or completely fake - and could be very dangerous to your health.

In addition, people selling medicines over the internet may not:

• Be health professionals  
• Ask you for a prescription  
• Check that it is safe for you to take the medicine you have ordered

The main concerns about buying medicines over the internet are:

• You might not get the best medicine for your situation  
• You might have more side effects  
• Some medicines may interact with medicines you are already taking  
• The internet pharmacy may not tell you how to take the medicine safely  
• You may get fake medicines – these may not contain the right dose, or even the right drug  
• The medicines may not be up to the UK standard  
• The medicines may be past their sell by date and not work as well  
• You are likely to have trouble getting your money back or compensation if there is a problem with the medicine

Check before you buy

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) is trying to make it easier for people to tell if an internet pharmacy is genuine.  They are developing an approval system which all internet pharmacies must meet.

If you are thinking of buying a medicine from an internet pharmacy, contact the website to find out:

• If the pharmacy is registered with the RPSGB  
• If the pharmacy is supervised by a pharmacist  
• If the pharmacist's name is on the website  
• Who owns the business  
• The business address

If an internet pharmacy is registered with the RPSGB, and states its full address and the name of its main pharmacist, the RPSGB will award them a kitemark.  Approved internet pharmacies can display the kitemark on their website.

For further information, click on the links below