Eager to go online, they hope to use their familiar brand names and stores as a competitive edge.
Online pharmacies operate much like mail-order pharmacies.
The chains will use their mail-order distribution centers to fill Internet orders. But little has been decided on regulating this service. While pharmacies are subject to state laws, the Internet doesn't recognize state or national boundaries. Online pharmacies say they are more convenient and few accept orders, anyway, for powerful Schedule II drugs that require a written prescription. But offshore sites mail controlled substances that require no prescription in other countries and, according to some regulators, dodge the law.