How Do I Know if I Can Trust an Online Pharmacy?

With the changing world of pharmacy, increasing numbers of patients are opting to obtain their medicines from online pharmacies in preference to high street chemists. This carries advantages for those with busy lifestyles or mobility issues, allowing patients to order medication from the comfort of their homes.

With these advantages unfortunately come downsides. The recent uptake of AI and other digital innovations has made it easier to mimic legitimate online pharmacy websites illegally. For this reason, it is important to exercise due diligence and know what to look out for to ensure you are communicating with the intended, registered pharmacy.

Verification Steps: How to Check if an Online Pharmacy is Licensed and Legitimate

All pharmacies, including online pharmacies in the UK must be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). This registration can be confirmed here. The pharmacy website should clearly display:

1. The name of the owner
2. The name of the superintendent pharmacist
3. The name and physical address of the pharmacy
4. The registration number of the pharmacy

If the online pharmacy offers a private prescription service, the website should also state:

• The name and registration number of all prescribers.

Prescription Requirements and Safety Standards: What Reputable Online Pharmacies Must Do

To ensure you are obtaining your treatment from a legitimate provider, there are a few tips you can look out for:

1. Ensure regulatory information is clearly visible on the website which you can verify.
2. When obtaining an online prescription, you will be required to fill out an online consultation form. If the website is not asking for information about your health and it is a simple online transaction, this should ring alarm bells.
3. Tall claims - if a website is claiming certain medication is ‘the best on the market’ or is for ‘half price’ - this immediately rings alarm bells. There are laws governing the advertisement of medication - these should not be incentivised through sales.
4. When completing a purchase, this generally involves obtaining payment through a secure online payment provider - if you are being asked to make payment via bank transfer to a private account - this may not be genuine.

Protecting Yourself: Safe Practices for Purchasing Medications Online

Online pharmacies have a duty to your care. When prescribing a treatment, the pharmacy must assess your treatment request, provide accurate assessment and only supply if it is clinically safe and appropriate to do so. This is generally done by completing an online consultation form, followed up by a phone call/video call.

Prescription medicines require a valid and legal prescription. When using legitimate online pharmacy services, this prescription is usually generated in house. If an online retailer is happy to provide treatment without this prescription, the transaction is not legal and there may be a chance the treatment you are requesting is not genuine.

The pharmacy website must display their regulatory information. This should be found with ease and not buried in the site.

Here at Quick Meds, we are a fully certified and GPhC-registered pharmacy based in the UK. All medication is obtained from suppliers who are registered with the MHRA. Our website has been designed to ensure ease for patients, with all regulatory information clearly visible for you to verify.