Online pharmacies can be convenient and safe, and many licensed pharmacies deliver by post. But the internet is also full of illegal sites that sell medicines without a prescription, and some of what they ship is falsified: the wrong dose, the wrong ingredient, or none at all.
Why fake medicines are dangerous
The WHO estimates that around one in ten medical products in low- and middle-income countries is substandard or falsified, and fakes sold online reach every country. Falsified tablets have been found to contain no active ingredient, too much of it, undeclared drugs, or contaminants. Taking them can mean a condition goes untreated or a dangerous side effect or interaction. Illegal sites are also a common route to card fraud and identity theft.
Warning signs of an illegal pharmacy
- It sells prescription-only medicines without a prescription, or with only a short online questionnaire and no clinician review.
- Prices are far below what licensed pharmacies charge, often "per pill" with bulk discounts.
- There is no physical address, no named pharmacist and no way to speak to one.
- It advertises through spam emails, pop-ups or social media messages.
- It focuses on lifestyle drugs: erectile dysfunction, weight loss, hair loss, sleeping pills, strong painkillers.
- It ships from another country and the product names or packaging look slightly wrong.
Sites like this were common in the 2000s and 2010s, including on this very domain in an earlier life, which is one reason we wrote this guide.
How to check a pharmacy
| Where you live | What to check |
|---|---|
| United States | The pharmacy should be licensed by the state board of pharmacy where it is based. The FDA's BeSafeRx campaign and the NABP's Safe.Pharmacy service list warning signs and verified sites. |
| United Kingdom | Online pharmacies must be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC); check the online register. |
| European Union | Legal online pharmacies display the EU common logo, which links to the national regulator's list. |
| Elsewhere | Check with your national medicines regulator or pharmacy board. |
If you think you bought a fake
- Stop taking it and keep the packaging.
- Talk to a pharmacist or doctor, especially if you feel unwell.
- Report it to your regulator: in the US through FDA MedWatch, in the UK through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme.
- Contact your bank if you paid by card on a site you now doubt.
Safe, licensed generics are widely available and often cheap; see are generic medicines as good as brand names? The same caution applies to anything sold with big promises, from "miracle" supplements to systems that claim to beat casino games: if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
Based on guidance from: World Health Organization, US Food and Drug Administration, MHRA, General Pharmaceutical Council.
