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Online pharmacies are becoming more popular day by day. This modern distribution channel inspires more and more trust. However, are the drugs bought this way safe? What to look for when buying drugs at an online pharmacy?

The online pharmacyworks differently from a regular online store. Mail-order sales of drugs ordered via the Internet can only be carried out by pharmacies and pharmacy outlets that have the appropriate authorization from the Pharmaceutical Inspection. Therefore, they are traditional pharmacies which, following the spirit of the times, have also decided to operate on the Internet.

There must be a special place in such a facility for the preparation of the drug for shipment. Such a room should be equipped with a table for preparing a package, a wardrobe for storing external packages and a platform for storing ready consignments.

A person with the qualifications of a pharmacist or pharmaceutical technician is responsible for mail order sales in an Internet pharmacy. The employee responsible for shipping the product must mark the outer packaging of the medicine with the pharmacy's data. Each order is subject to electronic records.

The medicinal product should be protected, in particular, against contamination, contamination or damage. You should also take care of the appropriate storage temperature, the lack of light, water and other external factors harmful to the drug. Parcels with medicinal products should be transported in a separate part of the means of transport, preventing access by unauthorized persons.

Online pharmacy: slightly different assortment, different return policy

We will not buy drugs available only with a doctor's prescription via the Internet. Pharmacies can only sell OTC drugs (without prescription) by mail order. However, they do not have any restrictions in the case of mail order sale of the entire rest of the pharmacy's range, i.e. dietary supplements, medical devices, cosmetics or foodstuffs for special dietary purposes. The regulations regarding the possibility of returning the purchased product are also different.

Medicines purchased online can be returned within 10 days, while those bought in a traditional pharmacy cannot be returned.

Pharmaceutical law prohibits pharmacists from accepting returns of medicinal products. Exceptionare only situations where the drug has a quality defect or has been dispensed incorrectly. Meanwhile, in the case of purchases in online pharmacies, under the Act on the protection of certain consumer rights, the buyer has the right to withdraw from a distance contract within 10 days from the date of purchase of the service or receipt of the product and return the goods without giving any reason.

How to recognize a legal online pharmacy?

There are certain risks associated with the purchase of drugs over the Internet, e.g. the possibility of purchasing a preparation of unknown origin, or illegal or even harmful. On the one hand, the web is teeming with websites that, imitating pharmacies, sell miracle pills for cancer, and sometimes prescription-only drugs. On the other hand, it happens that counterfeit medicinal products are placed on the market via a legally operating online pharmacy. In the face of these dangers, it became necessary to regulate the online pharmacy market.

For several months now, a special logo has been in place across the European Union to protect consumers against counterfeit medicines. On the websites of legally operating pharmacies and other entities authorized to sell drugs, there should be a white cross with four stripes in the background: three are in shades of green, one is gray. After clicking on this symbol, the list of the He althcare Information Systems Center is activated, where you can find information about the pharmacy we use and its reporting to the Pharmaceutical Inspectorate.

The website of each internet pharmacy must also contain a link to the national register of authorizations for running public pharmacies, pharmacy outlets and to the register of consents granted for running hospital and company pharmacies. In addition, the website of the online pharmacy should contain a link to the Public Information Bulletin of the Main Pharmaceutical Inspectorate, where you can find information on the regulations governing mail order sales in Poland, a common logo and the risk related to the purchase of medicinal products on the Internet. In addition, a legal online pharmacy must provide the patient with a pharmacist on call during working hours and two hours after the expected delivery date.

Worth knowing

Drugs from the Internet: pros versus minuses

Opponents of online drug purchases point out that in the case of this type of transaction, there is no direct contact with a pharmacist, who is always a highly qualified professional with knowledge and irreplaceable experience on the pharmacy market. Possibility to buy medicinal products as welldietary supplements in an anonymous manner and without consulting a pharmacist may lead to their overconsumption, improper use, as well as the purchase of unnecessary products related solely to marketing (promotions, discounts). In addition, there is still a lack of supervision over the legally compliant transport of medicinal products purchased online. The customer of a traditional pharmacy receives the product on the spot, while in the case of an online transaction, the moment of receiving the order is distant, usually from 2 to 3 working days. During this time, neither the sellers nor the buyers are sure under what conditions the package with the ordered drugs and other products from the online pharmacy is stored.

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