Online pharmacies may seem like a convenient way to fill prescriptions, but many are not legitimate or safe. The US Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) and the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP) have teamed up to fight against illegal online pharmacies. The organizations plan on raising public awareness through education and outreach.
The US National Association of Boards of Pharmacy found that only 2.47% of online pharmacies were truly legitimate, 257 out of 10,421 pharmacies examined. At any given time there are an estimated 40,000-50,000 online drug sellers active on the internet. The origin of medications dispensed by online pharmacies may be unknown and many drugs are not always what they claim to be. The World Health Organization believes that up to 30% of drugs from Asia, Africa and Latin America are fake. Click here to see our previous blog post about counterfeit drugs.
How can patients protect themselves? The best solution is to use a legitimate pharmacy staffed with a pharmacist. Pharmacists can answer any questions you may have about your prescriptions and make sure that your medications are taken safely. Learn more about filling prescriptions safely by visiting the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies page Safe Online Pharmacies 101
