Online pharmacist consultations are a convenient way to get your medications without leaving your home, especially if you’re busy and struggling to get a GP appointment. As these services become more popular, it’s important to be sure that your chosen online pharmacy is legitimate.
You should always buy prescription medication from a reputable online pharmacy to protect both your health and financial security. When you’re struggling to find time to see a doctor, cheap alternative sources where few questions are asked can be tempting, but they come with serious risks.
Unregulated sources selling illegitimate medications may put your health at risk as they may:
When you buy medication from a registered pharmacy, you can be sure that the treatment is exactly what it says on the packaging, and that it has been carefully dispensed for your health needs.
If you take medication from other sources, your body could react in ways you weren’t expecting and make you feel worse, especially if you’re already taking other medicines for your health.
Beyond health concerns, unregulated online pharmacies may:
These fraudulent activities can impact both your financial well-being and privacy long after you have used their service.
In the UK, several regulatory bodies work together to guarantee that online pharmacies operate safely and legally. Becoming familiar with these organisations helps you to check if an online pharmacy is legitimate and accredited.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the UK government agency responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work properly and are acceptably safe.
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) regulates pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy premises in Great Britain. They:
You can check if a pharmacy is registered with the GPhC on their website.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. It monitors, inspects, and regulates services (including online prescribing services) to make sure they meet quality and safety standards.
When purchasing medications online, there are several things to look out for before trusting an online pharmacy with your health and personal information.
Certified online pharmacies in the UK will have information about their professional registrations available. They might display specific regulatory logos, or they may list their pharmacists with their GPhC registration numbers or GPs with their GMC details. If they are NHS approved, you should also be able to see this information too.
Legitimate pharmacy websites will clearly display:
Clear contact details mean you can connect with qualified healthcare professionals if you have questions about your medication or experience any concerns with your treatment. Reputable pharmacies understand the importance of being accessible to their patients and will make their contact information readily available.
Professional prescribers are bound to strict professional standards when handling prescription medication to keep you safe. Look for these important practices:
Trustworthy online pharmacies will ask about your health background, medicines you’re currently taking, any allergies you have, and your symptoms. This helps them to make sure new medicines won’t cause problems with your existing health conditions or other medications. They may also complete NHS health history checks for additional safety.
Your prescription contains personal health details that should be protected. Good pharmacies only send prescriptions through secure computer systems or regular mail. They won’t use regular email, which isn’t safe for your private information.
Reliable pharmacies have clear guidelines about which medicines they can provide. They take extra care with stronger medications that need special monitoring. They won’t bend the rules to make a sale.
A good pharmacy will be there to help if you have questions or concerns about your medicine. They should be easy to contact and ready to support you throughout your treatment, not just when taking your payment.
You can get a sense of the online pharmacy’s trustworthiness by checking other customer’s experiences of shopping with them. Look for real customer reviews on websites like Trustpilot as well as the reviews on the pharmacy’s own website. It’s normal for businesses to have some negative reviews, but be careful if you see many people complaining about the same problems, like wrong medicines, late deliveries, or unhelpful staff.
Be careful of medication being sold cheaply. Genuine online pharmacies will clearly show you the total cost upfront, including any delivery fees or consultation charges. If medication prices seem much cheaper than everywhere else, this could be a warning sign of counterfeit medicines.
Legitimate UK pharmacies will also always display prices in pounds (£), not foreign currencies. Remember, your health is worth paying a fair price for properly regulated medication.
A trustworthy pharmacy website will have basic security features to protect your personal information. Look for “https://” at the beginning of the website address, as this shows your data is being protected.
The site should look professional without spelling mistakes or broken links. A good pharmacy website will also have a clear privacy policy explaining how they’ll use your information, secure payment options, and won’t bombard you with pop-ups.
Before you start taking medication from an online pharmacy, you should do some basic checks to be sure you’ve received safe, genuine medication.
UK standards mean that legitimate medicines will always come with proper packaging and clear labelling. Look for a dispensing label with your name, the correct medicine name and strength and the dosage instructions. The label should include the date of dispensing and the pharmacy’s details. Missing or unclear labelling could indicate counterfeit products.
Tablets and capsules should arrive in sealed blister packs or secure containers that protect them from moisture and contamination. Liquid medications should have intact seals and tamper-evident features that show they haven’t been opened since leaving the manufacturer. The packaging should include information about the batch and the expiry dates.
If you notice packaging that’s torn, damaged, or appears to have been previously opened, this could mean the medication hasn’t been stored properly or might have been tampered with.
Genuine medications come from reputable manufacturers. The packaging should clearly show the manufacturer’s name and include both batch numbers and expiry dates. These details are essential for tracking the medication’s production and making sure it’s still safe to take. If this information is missing or appears altered, be cautious.
Medications licensed for sale in the UK will have a marketing authority number, usually starting with “PL” or “EU.” This number confirms the medication has been evaluated and approved for use in the UK. You can enter this number on the MHRA website to check if it matches the product you are expecting.
If you’ve ordered medical devices like blood glucose monitors or inhalers, they should display a CE mark. This symbol indicates the device meets European safety standards. Without this mark, the device may not meet the required safety regulations.
Never take medication labelled “not for human consumption” or lacking clear usage instructions. If you notice that your medication has an unusual odour, colour, taste, or texture that is different from medications you’ve taken before, it could mean it is a counterfeit product.
At Click2Pharmacy, we’re committed to providing safe, legitimate online pharmacy services to our patients across the UK. As a fully regulated online pharmacy, we maintain strict compliance with all UK regulatory requirements.
Our qualified pharmacists and prescribers are registered healthcare professionals who provide expert guidance for your medication needs. We proudly display our regulatory credentials, including our GPhC and GMC numbers, so you can be confident we are fully qualified and capable.
We carefully source all our medications so every product we dispense meets stringent quality standards. When your medication arrives, you can feel confident it’s genuine, properly stored, and dispensed according to professional standards.
From sexual health to weight loss, our experienced team are here to discreetly help you. Visit our online clinic to experience the peace of mind that comes with using a legitimate, caring online pharmacy service that puts your health and safety first.
