Some doctors already have the capability to transmit prescriptions directly to drugstore sites, reducing the chance that a pharmacist will misread an illegible scribble. And many online drugstores keep track of patients' prescriptions, alerting them by e-mail about refills or dangerous drug interactions. There are some drawbacks. Be sure to read the fine print about availability and delivery. If a pharmacy isn't affiliated with a retail store, it can take a week or longer for your drugs to arrive in the mail.
Privacy is a concern as well.
The problem stems largely from technology allowing banner advertisers access to information that a customer enters on the page where the ad appears. Other privacy violations occur when sites share information they've gathered with partners who haven't signed a privacy agreement. Barely distinguishable visibly from reputable Web pharmacies are online drugstores whose practices and products can be risky or even dangerous. The Internet has widened access to illegally imported prescription products. Last year, the U.S. Customs Service seized 9,725 packages of prescription drugs, nearly five times as many as in 1998.