How Can You Tell if an Online Pharmacy is Operating

Legally?

Online pharmacy promises to revolutionize some processes in the health sector.
Online pharmacies offer a convenient, efficient, and private – you do not need a
physical examination from a doctor to get your drug. Online pharmacies also offer
discounts which are difficult to come by at physical stores.
This appeals more to individuals with sensitive conditions. As online pharmacies
gain more popularity scammers and fraudsters are beginning to use this as an
opportunity to sell fake drugs to unsuspecting individuals. The result of buying
from an illegal pharmacy can be very dangerous.
Drugs are meant to cure or manage certain conditions. However, when you take a
fake drug, it could worsen an already bad condition or even create a new
problem. With this in mind, it is crucial for everybody looking to buy drugs from
an online pharmacy know how to determine the ones that operate legally.
Are Online Pharmacies Legal?
Online pharmacies are legal in most countries of the world. Licensed or registered
online pharmacies can prescribe and dispense drug as would a physical pharmacy
store. This does not dispute the fact that many rogue online pharmacies are
operating without a license, worse, selling fake drugs.
How Can You Tell If an Online Pharmacy is Legal?
Telling whether an online pharmacy should be at the top of your priority list. A
legal online pharmacy has tons of benefit. On the other hand, the dangers of
getting drugs from a fake online pharmacy should only be imagined. So, how can
you differentiate between a legal and a rogue online pharmacy?
Licensing Seal or Certification
For an online pharmacy to operate legally in a particular country, it means it has
met all the requirement from the appropriate regulatory bodies. Every country
where it is legal to operate pharmacies online has a specific regulatory agency
which registers, controls, prosecutes, and guide how online pharmacies function.
If an online pharmacy has met the requirements of that agency, a seal or
certification is awarded. These certifications or seals are often proudly displayed

on the website of an online pharmacy. A seal or accreditation should not be very
difficult to find; while most pharmacies flaunt theirs on the home page as a sign of
great achievement, others can be spotted at the bottom a page.
Because a seal can be easily forged by an experienced photo editor, regulatory
agencies keep records of all the online pharmacies that meet their requirement. If
you don’t see a seal on a ‘trusted’ online pharmacy, check the website of the
regulatory agency in your region, they would have the answers you need.
In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service (NHS) is responsible for the
registration of online pharmacies. Most online pharmacies in the U.K often work
up with telemedicine doctors or online clinic doctors. Doctors carry out online
consultations and issue prescriptions.
In 2008, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) introduced a
green cross logo to help identify certified online pharmacies. In 2010 the running
of the internet pharmacy logo scheme was handed over to the General
Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) Some prominent online pharmacies in the U.K are;
● Pharmacy2U: This is the first and one of the biggest internet pharmacies
operating in the United Kingdom. Pharmacy2U began its operations in
operating in 1999 and has acted within the law ever since. Visit
Pharmacy2U to learn more about their services.
● Pharmica: This is another prominent name in the United Kingdom.
Pharmacia has a physical pharmacy in London. This online pharmacy store
along with its pharmacies are registered with the General Pharmaceutical
Council. Visit Pharmica to learn more about its services.
There are other online pharmacies in the United Kingdom where you can get your
medications from. Most of them would ask you to fill an online form before
prescribing a drug to a patient. Every online pharmacy in the U.K. has to be
registered with the Care Quality Commission.
There’s Often a Physical Address
The presence of a physical address is an excellent sign that an online pharmacy is
legal. Having a physical address is not all you should look out for. If the online
pharmacy has a physical address attached to its website, you can check with
google maps to make sure an actual pharmacy is located there.

Some online physical pharmacies would state the locations where the drugs are
being sent from. On the contrary, if you check the site of the online pharmacy,
and there is no physical address, that is a warning flag that you should heed to.
Contacts of Doctors or Pharmacists
As already stated, for an online pharmacy to operate in the U.K it has to be linked
with telemedicine doctors (online clinic doctors) who would run the diagnostics
on patients. More often than not, you would find the contacts and sometimes
addresses of the websites.
If you need a more convincing result, you can run the names of these individuals
on a search engine. If you have gone through the site of an online pharmacy and
there are no contacts of online doctors or pharmacists working with the
pharmacy, you shouldn’t buy your drugs there.
How Are Drugs Prescribed?
How does the online pharmacy dispense a drug you would typically need the
prescription of a doctor to get? The regulations in place require one of the
following methods before you can get a prescription drug from an online
pharmacy.
● Provide a prescription from a doctor.
● Complete an online test with a pharmacist or doctor who would prescribe
the drugs.
● You complete an online form.
In Conclusion
To tell if an online pharmacy is operating legally, you would need to get your
homework right. If you are shopping at an online pharmacy for the first time, it is
crucial that you spend time reading about the online pharmacy. Online reviews or
lack of reviews would help you determine whether you should buy or run away.