The results of a survey of United States pharmacists published in the journal Medicine Access @ Point of Care indicate that 58% of respondents lacked confidence in identifying and counseling patients on illegal pharmacy websites. Further, fewer than 60% of pharmacists were able to accurately identify whether a web page was legitimate, and 75% of pharmacists reported being unfamiliar with resources available to help consumers identify safe and legitimate online pharmacies.
Pharmacists can help protect consumers who shop for medications online by directing them to always buy from NABP-verified websites. A list of safe online pharmacies and related resources can be found in the Buy Safely section of NABP’s consumer website, www.safe.pharmacy.