Pharmacy sector leaders have welcomed the General Pharmaceutical Council's (GPhC) new report calling for strict action against fake medicines and fake online pharmacies.
The regulator has called upon technology companies behind major search engines and social media sites to prevent the illegal sale of counterfeit, ineffective and potentially dangerous medicines on their platforms.
NPA Chief Executive Henry Gregg said: "We're pleased that regulators have taken on board concerns raised by the NPA about a boom in websites and social media accounts impersonating legitimate pharmacies to sell counterfeit medicines.
"This is not just affecting online pharmacies but also some traditional bricks and mortar members as well.
"The vast majority of pharmacies have had difficulties getting these accounts removed when reporting these to social media companies, who we are concerned are asleep at the wheel when it comes to tackling this dangerous criminal behaviour.
"We agree that these companies need to take tougher action to remove these and liaise with regulators to take action against those running these websites and accounts. Search engines can also play their part.
"As well as these, regulators need look at ways to more clearly identify a safe legitimate pharmacy online. This could include examining the feasibility of introducing a .pharmacy domain name as well as the scaling up of enforcement action against illegal sellers."
Patients at risk
Company Chemists’ Association Chief Executive Malcolm Harrison said: “Fake and unregulated online pharmacies are a significant concern. They put patients at risk and threaten to undermine the well-earned trust of legitimate, regulated pharmacies.
"CCA members have been safely providing online pharmacy services for many years. Our members’ pharmacies operate within the UK’s robust regulatory framework, and their online pharmacies are regulated by, and meet the standards of the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). Patients can protect themselves by obtaining medicines from trusted, regulated providers, such as CCA member pharmacies.
"We welcome the focus of this report. Action is urgently needed to prevent illegal and unregulated sellers from reaching patients. This could include the application of stronger enforcement action against those operating outside the law and putting the public at risk.
"More also needs to be done to help people distinguish between legitimate pharmacies and unregulated sellers online. We would support measures that make registered pharmacies easier for patients to identify and prioritise, alongside greater public awareness of the importance of checking that an online pharmacy is genuine.
"However, as the various regulatory bodies work to combat this risk to the public, they must also be mindful of the impact of their decisions on legitimate actors in the market. Making the legal and safe provision of medicines online overly challenging could have the unintended consequence of driving more people to seek the medicines they want from unregulated and illegal suppliers.”
The GPhC report, "Combating fake online pharmacies and unregulated medicines" summarises discussions from a roundtable in the House of Commons, convened by the GPhC and chaired by Sadik Al-Hassan MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Pharmacy.
Participants included regulators, patient organisations, healthcare bodies and industry representatives.
It was agreed at the roundtable that fake online pharmacies present a growing and significant threat to patient safety, driven by organised criminal activity exploiting digital platforms, consumer demand and gaps in online enforcement.
Participants called for stronger action across the system to tackle illegal medicine sellers and prevent people being illegally sold counterfeit, unregulated and potentially dangerous medicines.
