The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 280 No 7484 p11
5/12 January 2008

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Internet pharmacy logo adds credibility

An internet pharmacy logo is launched this week. It allows members of the public to verify that websites are registered with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and helps them to avoid those selling medicines illegally. Dawn Connelly (on the staff of The Journal) reports

Related websites
Internet pharmacy logo (www.internetpharmacylogo.org)

Legitimate online pharmacies will soon be able to gain extra credibility in the eyes of the public by displaying a special logo developed by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (p3).

Over the past few years there has been an explosion in the number of websites offering medicines for sale, many of which originate from outside Britain and are not regulated by British authorities.

Statistics released by the Society this week reveal that over two million people across Britain now regularly purchase medicines via the web but almost a third of people admit to not knowing about online regulations.

The Society believes that the main areas of concern when customers buy prescription-only medicines over the internet from unregulated sites are:

• They need not have been prescribed by a health care professional

• There may not be checks and controls on the quality and effectiveness of medicines supplied

• There may be no legal recourse in the event of problems

The new logo aims to help the public to identify pharmacies registered in Britain and to avoid those that operate illegally. Registered internet pharmacies will not be required to use the logo but the Society believes that displaying it will benefit both the public and the profession.

The logo will appear on the homepage of participating online pharmacies and will show the registration number of the pharmacy operating the site. Clicking on the logo will take users straight to the Society’s online register, where they will be able to check the registration status of the pharmacy and the pharmacist or pharmacists behind the site.

David Pruce, the Society’s director of practice and quality improvement, explains: “Over the past few years we have become aware of a number of dodgy internet sites around the world that are either claiming to be pharmacies or selling medicines.

“We wanted to do something to help the public to distinguish between proper registered pharmacies and internet sites that are claiming to be pharmacies that aren’t.”

Pilot

The logo has been in the pipeline for just over two years (PJ, 17 December 2005, p756). Jeff Baker is superintendent pharmacist of PCP Direct, one of 20 sites that piloted the logo last year. “The logo means an awful lot to us, it gives us credibility on the internet,” he told The Journal.

“We set up the website in line with the new community pharmacy contract and offer all of the services you would expect from a pharmacy, including medicines use reviews, NHS and private prescriptions as well as selling medicines and other pharmacy goods,” he explains.

“We are therefore keen to be seen to be ethical and professional in what we are doing.” he adds.

Mr Baker explains that many of the site’s customers are expatriates who live overseas, for example in Australia and Hong Kong. “They see the logo and they know that the site is legitimate. Some people do not care where they purchase their medicines but most will only buy drugs such as antimalarials from a professional site.

“We are convinced that displaying the logo has helped our business tremendously.”

Enforcement

The Society will guard against unauthorised use of the logo in several ways. It intends to:

• Monitor where hyperlinks to its registration pages come from

• Ask the public to report sites displaying the logo but they suspect are illegitimate

• Prosecute sites misusing the word “pharmacy” (which appears in the logo)

• Prosecute sites using the copyrighted green cross logo without permission

“We are aware that the logo could be copied and faked so we are urging the public not just to look at the logo but to make other safety checks before they buy medicines over the internet,” says Mr Pruce.

These include:

• Checking the registration status of the pharmacist behind the site

• Looking for the name and address of the pharmacy operating the website

• Avoiding websites that offer to supply prescription-only medicines without a prescription

• Checking whether questions are asked before purchasing a medicine

The Society will not be carrying out spot checks of internet sites since this is something that is already within the remit of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (see Panel 1 below).

However, the Society’s inspectors monitor registered online pharmacies to ensure that they comply with the code of ethics and related standards.

Website operators (owner or superintendent) can apply to display the logo via the Society’s website (see Panel 2).

Conditions of use apply, including

• the logo must not be supplied to a third party

• it must not be modified

• information contained on the website must be legal, decent and truthful

• the website must comply with relevant legislation, for example on advertising of medicines to the public.

Mr Pruce says that 45 websites have already applied for the logo and the Society is encouraging its use on all sites that offer to supply medicines or advice.