Internet Pharmacy how much safe, how much ethical?

From about the year 2000, many internet or online pharmacies have started operating. Many such pharmacies are, in some ways, similar to community pharmacies; the basic difference being the method by which the medications are requested and received. Some customers consider this to be more convenient than traveling to a regular drugstore. Depending on the country & location the prescription may or may not be required for getting the drugs. Some customers order drugs from such pharmacies to avoid the inconvenience of visiting a doctor or to obtain medications which their doctors were unwilling to prescribe or some try to hide their identity by virtual purchase.

Like traditional pharmacies, online pharmacies can offer patients expert advice. Many new international online pharmacies are going for investment in technology which has also allowed them to introduce new and innovative services, such as electronic requesting of repeat prescriptions, the unique repeat prescription reminder service and prescription synchronization that ensures patients are ordering and taking their medicines appropriately. Many of these are lawful enterprises that genuinely offer convenience, privacy, and the safeguards of traditional procedures for prescribing drugs.

For some people, buying prescription drugs online offers advantages compared to purchasing drugs from a local drugstore, which include, the privacy and convenience of ordering medications from their homes, greater availability of drugs for shut-in people or those who live far from the pharmacy, the ease of comparative shopping among many sites to find the best prices greater convenience and variety of products, easier access to written product information and references to other sources than in traditional storefront pharmacies.

PROS

• No need to travel, just select medicines & order, the medicines are delivered to your home (at no extra cost).
• Considerable Affordability and Savings over regular Pharmacies. Discount available so medicines cheaper than regular shop. (Spend less and save more!)
• A new era is dawning in the world of pharmacy services – and one which offers customers greater choice and convenience than ever before.
• Expensive and rising prescription medication costs are a major concern for many people. Online Pharmacies can help to reduce these costs.
• Highly Professional & Easy Order Processing.
• Complete Patient Privacy.

CONS

• Risks in Ordering Drugs by Internet
• Pharmacies offering medication without a prescription and doctor review or supervision are sometimes fraudulent.
• Internet pharmacies will be abused as the people at the other end cannot distinguish between charlatans.
• Unlicensed and unregulated drugs may find their way into pharmacies.
• There are places where there is vulnerability, where counterfeit products might move beyond the stream of commerce.
• Internet sales are generally from foreign pharmacies that may not primarily serve the citizens of their country—enabling them to avoid the standards their government requires for drug manufacturing and safety.
• They will have to make sure that the medicines do not fall into the wrong hands.
• There are no laws in this regard & problems may arise in dispute settlement.
• Miracle cures, once thought to be laughed out of existence, have found a new medium.
• Spam ads increase as a trick to increase the flow of customers to the site of a specific pharmacy, wrong ads lead to misconceptions about medicines & also wrong medicines may be marketed via this route.

Different suggestions

• There should be constraints on how medicines are delivered.
• Online pharmacies should be determined to improve access to, and the choice of, pharmacy services.
• The pharmacy should require a prescription from the patient’s physician.
• The pharmacy should obtain medical information from the patient.
• The pharmacy should have physician review patient information before authorizing a prescription. 
• The patient should have access to a pharmacist for the purpose of medication counseling and drug information.
• Very good information about “Model Standards for Pharmacists Offering Pharmacy Services via the Internet” is given on the NAPRA website.

India in this scenario: India has advantage in the online pharmacy sector as many medications in India cost 50 to 90 percent less than U.S. retail prices because the Indian government, like that of most countries worldwide, controls drug pricing. Also, Indian pharmacies can sell cheaper, generic versions of Lipitor, Diovan and other expensive brand-name drugs for which generic medications are typically unavailable at U.S. and Canadian pharmacies.

So India can play a major role in supply of medicines & also increase its exports & sales to amny countries via online business.

There should be proper education of the patient, healthcare professionals, pharmacists in this regard and they must be educated to use the online pharmacy as & when required by following certain rules & precautions, so that they do not end up in wrong place, taking wrong medicine.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_pharmacy accessed on 16th Aug 2008

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3572620.stm accessed on 16th Aug 2008

http://newswise.com/articles/view/542731/ accessed on 16th Aug 2008

http://www.fda.gov/FDAC/features/2000/100_online.html accessed on 16th Aug 2008