Introduction
There are a lot of websites for online shopping, including those which sell pharmacy products. In this blog, we’ll explain what you should look for when browsing online to check that the website you’re purchasing medicine from is a legitimate pharmacy. This is important for ensuring that the medications or other products you’re purchasing are safe.
General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) Registration
Any online pharmacy licensed to practise in Great Britain should prominently display their General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) registration number, their address, and their Superintendent Pharmacist’s name and individual registration number.
In the case of Pharmacy Prime (which is run by the pharmacy called Pharmalogic), we display this information in our footer–which is viewable on all pages of our website–as well as on our About Us page.
You’ll also find on our About Us page the official “internet pharmacy logo” which is provided by the GPhC and which shows our registration number. This is in the form of a small, rectangular, green icon that reads “Registered Pharmacy” above the registration number, and which links to our GPhC registration details.
You can verify this information by visiting www.pharmacyregulation.org, where you can search for a pharmacist or pharmacy using their name or registration number. Here, you’ll also be able to see any recent inspection reports, if the pharmacy has been subject to any notices or conditions, and so on.
A website claiming to be an online pharmacy in the UK which does not clearly display this information is either (1) in violation of GPhC regulations or (2) is not a legitimate pharmacy. In either instance, it would be best to steer clear!
Contact information
Any legitimate online pharmacy should also clearly provide contact information, such as an email address, phone number, and a physical address to which you can send post. If you call or email, you should receive a prompt reply.
There should also be information about how to lodge a complaint about the pharmacy, which is part of GPhC requirements.
For Pharmacy Prime, all of this information is on our Contact Us page, which is linked to from our footer on every page.
Websites which do not provide contact details or information about how to make a complaint should be regarded with caution, as should websites which provide contact details but with a long response time to any queries–if a response is forthcoming at all!
Policies
Reputable websites in general will have clearly listed policies, such as a privacy notice, terms of service, and information about refunds and deliveries.
At Pharmacy Prime, we link to these on the footer of all our pages. You’ll find that our policies are written in simple, easy to understand language, in a regular font size. If you have any questions about them, we’re more than happy to explain, should you like to get in touch.
Websites without such policies, or which try to make them hard to find or understand via complicated language or a tiny font size which is hard to read, may be suspect.
Advice and help
Reputable, GPhC-registered pharmacies should go above and beyond selling pharmacy products and medications–they should also offer plenty of advice and support, whether or not you purchase anything from them.
For example, at Pharmacy Prime, we maintain a section titled Health & Advice Guides, which features blogs about different conditions, medications, and topics, with the goal of helping inform the public about these subjects, often with holistic suggestions included.
Ratings and reviews
Legitimate online pharmacies should be proud to showcase the feedback they’ve received, and use any negative reviews as a way to improve their service. However, not all ratings and reviews are trustworthy.
When looking at a website, consider where their reviews and ratings are hosted. Those simply posted on the website directly should be regarded with suspicion–instead, look to see if the website is using a third party.
For example, at Pharmacy Prime, we collect feedback using Trustpilot, which is a well-known review website. You can view our ratings and reviews here. We’re proud to maintain a 4.7 star rating (out of 5 stars) with over 2,000 legitimate reviews from actual customers.
No service is without flaws–if you only see perfect ratings and reviews, especially if there is a low overall number of reviews, proceed with caution.
Summary
While there are many websites for online shopping, and many online pharmacies, not all are trustworthy. When considering where to purchase pharmacy products and medication from, you should consider whether the pharmacy is registered with the GPhC, if they provide clear and legitimate contact details, if their policies are accessible and easy to understand, if they provide health-related advice, and if they have genuine ratings and reviews.