Photo: FDA
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Angelique Fragoso
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Perhaps with the risks involved in going out during the pandemic, you have been tempted to buy your medications at a virtual pharmacy or other website. For this it is important that you protect yourself and that you buy only in those pharmacies that operate legally and They offer convenience, privacy and guarantees in the purchase of medications.
However, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that there are many unscrupulous virtual pharmacies that claim to sell prescription drugs at greatly reduced prices, often without the need for a valid prescription. These internet pharmacies often sell fake or illegitimate drugs, with no regard for the safeguards followed by accredited pharmacies.
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How can one know if a virtual pharmacy operates legally? The FDA campaign, BeSafeRx, Know your PharmacyIt can help you identify and avoid fake virtual pharmacies. Beware of virtual pharmacies that:
- They allow you to buy prescription drugs without a valid prescription from your healthcare provider.
- they do not have a pharmacist with a state accreditation from the United States available to answer their questions.
- They offer very low prices that seem too good to be true.
- They send junk or unsolicited emails offering cheap medicines.
- They are located outside the United States or ship to all parts of the world.
These pharmacies often sell drugs that can be dangerous because they can:
- having too high or too low a content of the active ingredient you need to treat your condition or disease.
- not contain the correct active ingredient.
- contain the wrong ingredient or others that are harmful.
The active ingredient is what makes the medicine effective in treating the disease or condition for which it is indicated. If a medication has unknown active ingredients, it could have an unexpected interaction with other medications you are taking, not have the desired effect, have dangerous side effects, or cause other serious health problems, such as severe allergic reactions.
Also, these medications may not have been stored properly, such as in a warehouse without the necessary temperature controls, which may render them ineffective for treating the disease or condition for which you are taking them.
According to the FDA, there are ways one can identify a secure virtual pharmacy, such as:
- they require a valid prescription from a physician or other licensed healthcare professional.
- are accredited by your state’s pharmaceutical board or an equivalent state agency (to verify the accreditation of a pharmacy, check with your state’s pharmaceutical board).
- do not appear in the “List of non-recommended internet sites”Of the National Association of Pharmaceutical Boards (just because the virtual pharmacy does not appear in this list does not mean that it is safe).
- They have a pharmacist with an accreditation from a United States state available to answer your questions.
- They are located in the United States and provide a physical address.
Another way to check the authenticity of a website is to look for the seal of the National Association of Pharmaceutical Boards (NABP) that says “Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice SitesTM”, also known as the VIPPS® seal. This seal means that using the virtual pharmacy is safe because it has met state accreditation requirements as well as other NABP criteria.
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