The Pew Internet & American Life Project (www.pewinternet.org) reports that 72% of adults use the Internet. That equals about 145 million people. Of online adults, 66% report using the Internet to search for health and medical information.
Considering that women often coordinate their family's medical care, and that websites dispensing health information are among the fastest-growing of all new sites, shopping for medicines and other health care products online is growing in popularity, too.
In October 2000, NCPIE, along with the Food and Drug Administration and several NCPIE health professional and consumer organizations formed the CybeRx Smart Safety Coalition. The purpose of the Coalition was to encourage Internet users who choose to purchase prescription medicines online to do so from reputable sites, and to recognize the risks involved in purchasing medicines from questionable, "rogue" sites. Potential risks include:
- Fake, unapproved, outdated, or substandard products;
- Little or no quality control (packaging, purity of ingredients, storage);
- Possibility of an incorrect diagnosis (from sites that diagnose and prescribe online);
- Possibility of obtaining an inappropriate medicine;
- Breach of patient confidentiality and insecure transactions.
In 2005, the FDA, NCPIE, and the National Alliance for Hispanic Health collaborated to revise and update the initial CybeRx Smart Safety Coalition consumer education piece, producing "Buying Prescription Medicine Online: A Consumer Safety Guide."
Here are some Tips to Help Protect You if You Buy Medicines Online:
Look for Websites with Practices that Protect You. A Safe Website Should:
- Be Licensed by the state board of pharmacy where the website is operating (check www.nabp.info for a list of state boards of pharmacy)
- Have a licensed pharmacist to answer your questions.
- Require a prescription from your doctor or other health care professional who is licensed in the United States to write prescriptions for medicine.
- Have a way for you to talk to a person if you have a problem.
Be Sure Your Privacy is Protected:
Look for privacy and security policies that are easy-to-find and easy-to-understand.
Don't give any personal information (such as social security number, credit card, or medical or health history), unless you are sure the website will keep your information safe and private.
Make sure that the website will not sell your personal information, unless you agree.
Protect Yourself and Others:
Report websites you are not sure of, or if you have complaints about a site. Go to www.fda.gov/buyonline and click on "Notify FDA about problem websites."
BUYING YOUR MEDICINE ONLINE CAN BE EASY. Just Make Sure You Do It Safely.
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