Moreover, illicit online pharmacies may market products using fraudulent or misleading health claims, offer the sale of unapproved/illegal versions of drug products and may not be appropriately licensed or qualified to dispense prescription medicines.
#UCSD ONLINE ELINKS PROFESSIONAL#
12 A common practice of illicit online pharmacies is advertising the sale of a prescription drug without the need to provide a valid prescription (also known as no-prescription online pharmacies.) Importantly, these illicit ‘no-prescription’ online pharmacies present clear and significant patient safety risks as consumers can inappropriately self-diagnose/self-prescribe for their conditions, engage in medically unnecessary or overprescribing behavior, use online pharmacies to engage in substance abuse and/or potentially encounter drug-to-drug interactions, contraindications or side effects that can be exacerbated when a healthcare professional is not involved in treatment decisions/consultations. 10, 11Ĭonversely, ‘illicit’, ‘illegitimate’ or ‘rogue’ online pharmacies are defined as those pharmacies that either fail to meet national or international pharmacy regulations or have not been subjected to requisite regulatory review, licensure and/or certification, and are most commonly found in Category 3 and above. CVS acquired in 1999, renaming it CVS.com, growing its market presence over the years, by 2004 accepting electronic prescriptions, and most recently acquiring the pharmacies associated with the large US retailer Target Corporation. 9 For instance, CVS has been a market leader in the online pharmaceutical market among the brick-and-mortar pharmacies. Major drugstore/pharmacy companies are investing in online infrastructure, and there has also been an expansion and greater consumer utilization of legitimate online pharmacies in certain European countries that allow prescription medicines to be sold online (which has been followed by the adoption of a common EU logo to protect consumers). convenience, 24/7 accessibility, price transparency, greater consumer privacy when making transactions and potentially greater availability of products) and can also improve access to medications for disabled and/or housebound patients who may lack mobility and have difficulty accessing a brick-and-mortar pharmacy. 5 Online pharmacies share many benefits enjoyed by other e-commerce businesses (e.g. Legitimate online pharmacies are described as websites that comply with both the laws and regulations of the country where the online pharmacy website operations occur and the destination to where the pharmaceutical products are shipped to the end consumer. 4, 6 Within the context of these three classifications, there are also two broader categories that characterize the legality of Internet pharmacy operations: ‘legitimate’ and ‘illicit’ online pharmacies. CVS.com) or operate online portals for mail-order pharmacy services, (2) other brick-and-mortar pharmacies or establishments that also have an online presence, and (3) stand-alone online pharmacies that solely operate online. 3-5 These include: (1) established chain and large retail pharmacies that operate online (e.g. In order to better understand this phenomenon, it is important to delineate different classifications of online pharmacies that have been identified in the literature. 3 In fact, illicit online pharmacies are a far more common occurrence in the digital sphere than legitimate ones, with Internet security firms estimating that 96% of all global online pharmacies actually operate illegally by failing to adhere to regulatory and safety requirements and are ergo in violation of professional, legal and ethical principles. 2 However, this uncontrolled proliferation of online pharmacies has also introduced significant public health and patient safety concerns given the parallel emergence of illegal, illicit and ‘rogue’ online pharmacies that violate national and international laws and regulations. This rapid growth and expansion has created a perfect storm that now fuels an online marketplace where an estimated 35 000 online pharmacies operate globally. 1 More than a decade later, a great deal has changed in the online pharmacy landscape with the precipitous rise of e-commerce, digital health offerings, direct-to-consumer healthcare, and the globalization of pharmaceutical production and supply. In January 1999, became the first pharmacy to operate via the Internet and sell medicines directly to the consumer. Cybercrime, Internet pharmacies, online pharmacies, cyberpharmacies, e-pharmacy, cybersecurity, Internet governance, online patient safety Background
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