83% of the UK Don’t Know How to Check if a Medicine They Bought Online Is Legitimate
Millions of people could be putting their health at risk because they do not know how to check if the medicine they bought online is authentic.
The Independent Pharmacy questioned over 2,000 people and found that 83% did not know how to check if a medicine they purchased online is legitimate, with this figure increasing to 94% for over 55s.
The researched also confirmed that:
- A whopping 28 million people in the UK say they would buy medicine online
- 83% of the UK say they don’t know how to check if a site selling medicine is safe and legitimate
- 25-34-year-olds are most likely to be aware of how to check whether a site (54%) and the medicine it sells (53%) is safe and legitimate
- 14% of 18-24-year-olds say they do not know how to check if their medicine is legitimate, and this figure increases to 53% for 25-34-year-olds
- Over half of the UK say they’re unaware that all online pharmacies aren’t regulated to the same extent
Scott McDougall (MPharm), co-founder and registered manager of The Independent Pharmacy, said:
“Buying medicine safely off the internet isn’t always easy. Not only are online pharmacies not regulated to the same extent, but some are also completely illegal and unregistered
“Unless the millions of people that buy medicine online know how to spot a legitimate online pharmacy and check medicine authenticity, they could be putting their health at risk.”
Findings also revealed that a worrying 94% of over 55s are unsure how to check medicine for legitimacy.
Dr Don Grant (MB, ChB, DRCOG, MRCGP, Dip.orth.med), clinical lead at The Independent Pharmacy, said: “Typically, the over 55s are the most vulnerable as they often require more medication, and yet they may not be as aware of online safety as younger generations who were brought up with tech.
“Not only is there a need to provide further education on how to identify a safe online pharmacy, but it’s also important to keep an open dialogue with healthcare professionals across the industry about the standards of prescribing sites and medicines to ensure a collaborative future between online and offline providers and encourage safer patient care.”
The Independent Pharmacy has created a guide to online healthcare to help people stay safe and protected when buying medicine online.
The Independent Pharmacy found that the public need educating to improve safety when purchasing online, a guide has been created to provide a helping hand when buying online. You can find the guide here: https://www.theindependentpharmacy.co.uk/how-to-buy-medicine-safely
