e-PHARMACY

Introduction

e-pharmacy, (also called Online pharmacy, or Internet pharmacy), are pharmacies that
operate over the Internet. They operate like community pharmacy but they are different
because of the method by which the medications are requested and received.

While many internet pharmacies sell prescription drugs only with a prescription, some
do not require a pre-written prescription because there may not be such a provision in
law. In some prescriptions are not required. People living in the United States for
example, and other countries where prescription medications are very expensive may
turn to online pharmacies to save money. Many of these websites employ their own in-
house physicians to review the medication request and write a prescription accordingly.

Accreditation

Accreditation or registration of online pharmacies is a practice that has not picked

globally as yet. Yet, with the advancement in information communication technology,
this will eventually be inevtable. Kenya does not have a policy on internett pharmacies
and even the e-health is just emerging. However in the US, there is a program to
accredit e-pharmacies. One such is the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites
Program (VIPPS), which is operated by the NABP and was created in 1999.

Advantages of e-pharmacy

1. They are more convenient than a physical visit to a community pharmacy, much
the same way ordering goods online.
2. It can be cheaper because the customer can order drugs from far away places
where medications are cheaper. For example, often Americans purchase lower-
cost foreign drugs by driving to Canadian or Mexican pharmacies, buying their
medications when traveling abroad on vacation, or, buying by mail from foreign
pharmacies.
3. Some customers order drugs from such pharmacies to avoid the inconvenience
of visiting a doctor or to obtain medications their doctors are unwilling to
prescribe.

Disadvantages

1. Some websites offer medications without a prescription or a doctor review. This

practice has been criticized as potentially dangerous, especially because
 pharmacies offering medication without requiring a prescription and doctor
review or supervision are sometimes fraudulent and may supply counterfeit,
substandard and even expired medications.
2. The practice can promote illegal pharmacies and illegal trade in medicines and
other medical products.