Be safe and aware before you purchase any medications from online pharmacies [1]. In April 2010 the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) released a Progress Report for State and Federal Regulators about the proliferation of rogue websites posing as legitimate pharmacies. The report found that over 96% of the nearly 6,000 Internet drug outlets reviewed did not meet state and federal laws and/or NABP patient safety and pharmacy standards. Additionally, of the approximate 40,000 online drug sellers reviewed by LegitScript, less than 400 have been found to be legitimate. Also, consider that illegitimate websites offering to sell drugs have characteristics such as a physical address outside of the U.S., not providing any physical address, not requiring a valid prescription, issuing “prescriptions” only through an online questionnaire or consultation, and/or not accepting insurance. Finally, any financial information you provide (such as credit card number) could be at risk. You could receive counterfeit or substandard drugs. The drugs you receive may look real, but they could be counterfeit, contaminated, expired or otherwise unsafe.
