Buying Prescription Drugs Online Safely
Medical Author: Melissa Stoppler, M.D.
Medical Editor:
William C. Shiel, Jr, MD, FACP, FACR
Hundreds of Web sites offer prescription drugs for sale,
and the number of online pharmacies is growing daily. While legitimate pharmacy
sites can provide
a private, practical, and sometimes cheaper way to obtain prescription
medications - particularly for those who live in remote areas or are unable to
travel to pharmacies - online buyers must take extra precautions to ensure that
they are receiving safe medications from a reputable provider.
First and foremost, before you purchase medications from
an online pharmacy, check to be sure that you are dealing with a U.S.
state-licensed pharmacy. A list of licensed online pharmacies has been developed
by the National Association of
Boards of Pharmacies (NABP).
The NABP has also developed a program to help individuals identify online pharmacies
that comply with all state and federal regulations for dispensing of
medications. You can recognize these reputable pharmacy Web sites, all of which
display the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites™ seal (VIPPS® Seal).
VIPPS® also has a section to check for Veterinary-Verified Internet
Pharmacy Practice Sites™ (Vet-VIPPSŪ) when buying prescription
medication for your pets (http://www.nabp.net/indexroster.asp).
Safe
online pharmacies should also:
- require a prescription from your own U.S.-licensed physician;
- have a pharmacist available to answer questions; and
- provide contact information (including the phone number of a person you can talk
to) in case you have problems or questions.
Purchasing drugs from an illegal online pharmacy can
cause serious health risks. Drugs sold by an unlicensed
pharmacy may be:
- outdated or expired;
- may be manufactured in substandard facilities;
- may contain dangerous ingredients, may have been improperly stored; pr
- or may be too strong or too weak.
Medications sold by unlicensed pharmacies can
also contain the wrong drugs or even be outright fakes. Pharmacies that offer
their own prescribing service also constitute a significant risk to your health.
Both the American Medical Association and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration agree that obtaining a prescription by filling out
an online questionnaire does not conform to accepted standards of care and may
result in an improper diagnosis or receipt of potentially harmful medications. Unscrupulous pharmacy
Web sites may also sell or share your personal and financial information with
other parties.
According to the NABP, about half of online pharmacies
that offer a prescribing service are located outside the U.S., and purchasing
drugs from these companies can be illegal. Prescription drugs available from
foreign pharmacies may be products that the FDA has not approved, may not have been made
under the quality standards required by U.S. law, or may not be labeled
according to U.S. requirements. These drugs are prohibited by law from being
sold in the U.S.
While caution is the rule when making any online purchase,
buying prescription drugs online warrants extra scrutiny. Always thoroughly
investigate an online pharmacy before making a purchase. When in doubt, contact
the NABP to be sure the pharmacy is in good standing.
Reference: "Buying Prescription Medicine Online: A Consumer Safety Guide", U.S. FDA, August 2009.
Last Editorial Review: 10/1/2009
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