10 interesting facts you need to know about online pharmacies

Getting your prescription from online pharmacies is the new trend. Do you want to give it a try?

Before you do, take a look at some of the key factors that you need to know;

Medicines Act 1968 (as amended)

The Medicines Act 1968 (as amended) regulates how pharmacies will operate including online pharmacies. Section 58 prohibits supplying prescription drugs except via a registered pharmacist. The prescription must be issued to the appropriate person. In other words, patients cannot get prescription drugs except through a registered pharmacist. Any offender will be prosecuted by the General Medical Council (GMC).

Unregulated websites: Apart from the fact that getting prescription drugs from unregulated sites are not safe, it is prohibited. Their prices may be cheaper but the risk of buying from them is too much. For instance, you might be sold a fake drug or your sensitive details will be hacked.

Safety and quality: To ensure that the drugs sold on online pharmacies are safe, the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) supervises all products. Any pharmacy operating in the UK must be licensed by this agency.

Verification: To verify that members of an online pharmacy are licensed to operate, you can check the General Pharmaceutical Council register (GMC). The lists of the entire pharmacist are listed in their register. This will definitely give you some peace of mind.

Registered online pharmacies: The fastest way to find out if an online pharmacy is registered is the presence of MHRA and GPHC logo. Just click on the logo and you find out the status of their registration. Most often the logo is found at the bottom of their website. Some of the best online pharmacies in UK can be found at getupbuddy.com guide.

Anonymity: If you don’t want anyone to find out about your health condition, then patronize online pharmacies. They don’t reveal the identity of the patient. For instance, if you want to purchase erectile dysfunction drugs, just go to an online pharmacy.

Tight schedule: If you are wondering why you don't see a lot of people queue up at local pharmacies, online pharmacies are the reason. If you run a tight schedule, you can patronize an online pharmacy and the drugs will be delivered to you. So it is convenient and easy to use. They will also help you manage your prescription.

Fake drugs: Fake drugs are a huge problem for the pharmaceutical industry. A study showed that in 2015, half of the drugs sold in the market were fake and from unlicensed pharmacies. In fact, in 2019, a law was made to persecute any offender. The law is called the Falsified Medication Directive (FMD). Every product must have a barcode. The barcode makes it easy for patients to know the originality of the product.

Therefore all licensed online pharmacies are bound by this law and others that regulate prescription drugs. It is almost impossible for unregulated online pharmacies to follow this law.

Data Protection Act 1985: The regulated online pharmacies owe their customers a duty to comply with this law. The pharmacies must tell you how or what they will likely do with your information. Your data must be protected and not shared with a third party. Unlicensed online pharmacies cannot guarantee the safety of your data.

Due diligence: You can do due diligence before you patronize any online pharmacy. This will help you scrutinize the online pharmacy.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes