A website that offers advice to customers and promotes referrals to independent community pharmacies has been launched by a London pharmacist, Mr Leon Curie.
Mr Curie told The Journal on June 6 that the website (www.getwellkwik.co.uk) aimed to move away from online pharmacies, which he felt were discouraging customers from visiting pharmacies to purchase over-the-counter medicines. The idea with the new site was that customers would consult the advice given or submit questions. Mr Curie would answer these giving either advice or product recommendations (although the site contains the following disclaimer: "Each recommendation is provided strictly without incurring any liability whatsoever on behalf of the provider of the recommendation, Getwellkwik, the site, or any individual, partner or associated member thereof").
Customers are to be advised to visit a local independent pharmacy, principally those drawn from a database of affiliated pharmacies on the system, to make their purchases. It would be possible to notify these pharmacies by e-mail of the recommendations given to customers. Affiliated pharmacies would be charged a membership fee of £50 a year.