Buying medicine from online pharmacies
Tags: Healthcare, Cryptocurrency, Pharmaceutical, Blockchain, ICO

Since mid-April and with the input of the GPhC, online pharmacies in the United Kingdom will have to follow some new rules aiming to protect patients getting medicines online.

Online research by YouGov commissioned by the GPhC found that 25% of people say they are likely to use online pharmacies in the future, but 50% of those unlikely to do so have concerns about the safety of online pharmacies.

That’s the reason why guidance for pharmacy owners have been strengthened to help make sure that people can only obtain medicines from online pharmacies that are safe and clinically appropriate for them.

After considering feedback from the sector and patients and the public to proposals published last year, the GPhC has introduced further safeguards for patients and the public in the following key areas:

Making sure medicines are clinically appropriate for patients — online pharmacies will have to make sure:

there are robust processes in place to carry out identity checks on people obtaining medicines

the pharmacy team can identify requests for medicines that are inappropriate, including by being able to identify multiple orders to the same address or orders using the same payment details

the pharmacy websites do not allow a patient to choose a prescription-only medicine and its quantity before there has been an appropriate consultation with a prescriber

Further safeguards for certain categories of prescription only medicines — further safeguards will have to be in place before supplying the following categories of medicines to make sure that they are clinically appropriate:

antimicrobials (antibiotics)

medicines liable to abuse, overuse or misuse, or where there is a risk of addiction and ongoing monitoring is important. For example, opiates, sedatives, laxatives, pregabalin and gabapentin

medicines that require ongoing monitoring or management. For example, those used to treat diabetes, asthma, epilepsy and mental health conditions

non-surgical cosmetic medicinal products, such as Botox

These safeguards include making sure the prescriber proactively shares all relevant information about the prescription with their GP after seeking the patient’s consent.

Transparency and patient choice — pharmacy owners will have to supply more details about where the service and health professionals involved in prescribing and supplying the medicine are based and how they are regulated, so people have enough information to make an informed decision about using the service and can raise concerns about the service if they need to.

— pharmacy owners will have to supply more details about where the service and health professionals involved in prescribing and supplying the medicine are based and how they are regulated, so people have enough information to make an informed decision about using the service and can raise concerns about the service if they need to. Regulatory oversight — pharmacy owners working with prescribers or prescribing services operating outside the UK must take steps to successfully manage the additional risks that this may create, including assuring themselves that the prescriber is working within national prescribing guidelines for the UK.

These new safeguards received strong support overall from more than 800 individuals and organisations responding to a discussion paper published last year.

How to keep safe when using an online pharmacy

Make sure the online pharmacy is registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council. The online pharmacy should say this prominently on its homepage or ‘About us’ page and give its registration number. You might also see this logo which should click through to the register:

Visit pharmacyregulation.org/registers/pharmacy to check the pharmacy is on the online register.

Expect to be asked questions about your health and identity before being able to buy a medicine and answer them honestly. This will help the health professionals prescribing or supplying the medicine to make sure it is safe and appropriate for you.

Avoid websites which offer to supply prescription-only medicines without a prescription; you could put your health at serious risk.

How will Mediconnect change the way people buy medicine online ?

Prescribers & pharmacies using MediConnect will have the confidence that by using our blockchain solution, the misuse and over-prescribing of prescription medication to potential addicts — who would normally shop around online for medication — will be eliminated.

Patients will be given the assurance that the medication they are being prescribed is genuine and from a licensed manufacturer, prescriber and pharmacy that is using a gold-standard solution to help improve their own duty of care.

Supply Chain

The MediConnect Supply Chain solution will enable the tracking of drugs from creation to distribution. This solution results in definitive drug recalls and provides complete transparency throughout the movement of drugs

Provenance

Innovations within the drug manufacturing industry will enable the creation of unique ‘drug serial codes’ on certified drugs. By utilizing MediConnect Provenance, consumers of certified drugs can ascertain the authenticity of the received item.

Payment gateway

As part of the MediConnect offering, the MediConnect Payment Gateway will cater for seamless conversion of MEDI Token to fiat currencies, allowing pharmacies to avoid incurring high costs associated with traditional methods. Ultimately, these savings can be passed down to the customer.

Loyalty scheme

The MEDI Token will be utilized in loyalty and reward schemes of participating pharmacies, allowing consumers to acquire and earn rewards with pharmacies who enrol with the loyalty scheme. This ensures that consumers get the best price for the products they purchase.

Want to know more about MediConnect?

This blockchain solution can offer new opportunities to the consumer in terms of how they transact and how they manage their own medical data, it also provides a gold standard in patient safety and duty of care. If you’re interested in this project, please connect with the team on social media :

or download the whitepaper and register for the ICO.