When you pick up or purchase a medicine at your pharmacy, the team there may ask you questions like:

“Have you taken the medicine before?”
“What are your symptoms?”
“Who is the medicine for?”
 
These questions may seem obvious to you, but pharmacy staff rely on the answers to make sure that the medicine they supply is suitable and safe.  Hundreds of thousands of people each year are admitted to hospital due to adverse drug reactions and many more would be harmed without the questioning of pharmacy staff.

Information you should tell your pharmacy team when picking up or purchasing medicines:

Always let your pharmacist know if you are:

• Allergic to anything
• Taking prescribed medicines from another pharmacist or hospital pharmacy 
• Taking over-the-counter medication or vitamin, mineral or herbal supplements
• Pregnant or breastfeeding
• Buying or collecting treatment for someone else  

Medicines in the UK are divided into three main groups:
those that are only available on prescription, others that are only available from pharmacies and a small number that can be bought from other retail outlets as well as pharmacies.

Some medicines are branded, others are not – these are known as generic medicines. To be sure that you get the best product and advice for your needs ask your pharmacist, your local medicines expert. Your GP will sometimes do just that.

Always read the instructions on the label or in the leaflet. If you are unsure about how to take your medicines, ask your pharmacist.

A number of pharmacies supply medicines online.  In the case of Prescription Only Medicines, typically an on-line questionnaire is completed, including a medical history, which a doctor then uses to assess whether it is suitable to supply.  

What are the dangers of buying medicines online?

Not all online pharmacies and drug websites are properly licensed – so patients cannot be sure what they are buying. Products available may:

• Be Illegal or unlicensed drugs, 
• Not have checks or controls on the quality and effectiveness of medicines 
• Contain unknown ingredients 
• Have no legal recourse in the event of any problems

How can I tell if a website is legitimate or not?

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s code of ethics requires that a pharmacy website clearly displays:

• The name of the business owner
• The address
• The name of the superintendent pharmacist
• Details on how to check their registration status

If a website does not display this information, do not to use it.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has introduced a new logo which will be seen on the front page of participating online pharmacy sites. This will help people identify whether a website offering to sell medicines or provide other pharmacy services is connected to a registered pharmacy.

What is being done to protect people?

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency Enforcement Team continually monitors internet sites, especially those known to be selling Prescription Only Medicines. Spot checks are made to see if the internet sites selling prescription only medicines are based in the UK. If so, they can take action and a number of prosecutions have taken place.

Where can I report a website that doesn’t look legitimate?

If you have any concerns or information that may assist in tracking down those responsible for counterfeit medicines and devices you can contact the Enforcement Group by emailing counterfeit@mhra.gsi.gov.uk  or by calling the MHRA’s 24-hour dedicated hotline on 020 7084 2701. Alternatively, you can write to the team at:

Counterfeits
The Intelligence Unit
MHRA
5th Floor
151 Buckingham Palace Road
Victoria
London
SW1W 9SZ