In the real world, a pharmacy would naturally have a pharmacist. This is for various reasons, which include making recommendations on what medication might make for a good over-the-counter treatment for a specific problem. A pharmacist’s advice does not take precedence over that of a doctor, but can be seen as a possible choice if the condition does not require medical attention. In online pharmacies, this is far less of an occurrence, even if it is possible to find sites that retain a licensed pharmacist. There are differences in how customers interact online and in the brick-and-mortar world that can sometimes make it odd to have a real pharmacist on staff for a website.

Subtle changes

The way that an online drugstore might operate is what makes it somewhat difficult to really need a licensed pharmacist. For the most part, legitimate online pharmacies will only deal with medications that require prescriptions, whether branded or generic in nature. This means that there is an assumption that the potential customer is someone who knows what he is looking for and does not actually need a pharmacist’s opinion on the matter, as a doctor’s expertise would take precedence. However, if a pharmacy actually deals with over-the-counter products more than prescription ones, then there are advantages to having a licensed pharmacist.

Concrete recommendations

When dealing with things such as over-the-counter medications, people are often more likely to ask a pharmacist for information. For online pharmacies that deal with such products, it is useful to have a licensed pharmacist on staff to answer such inquiries. The first reason for this is that a pharmacist would be more knowledgeable about which products or substances are better for given conditions, particularly if he has some idea what the patient’s specific symptoms are. A pharmacist would also lend credibility to the recommendation and would be seen as a genuine authority figure when compared to a customer service agent. The difference in training and experience is also a great factor.

Limitations

The problem with an online drugstore that has its own pharmacist, however, is that these professionals are expensive. A single pharmacist can be very expensive to retain, even if his role is simply answering queries for customers. Most people who choose to buy medication online from such a site may find delays in the replies, as there is usually only just one pharmacist on staff and the number of inquiries may be more than he can handle quickly.

In general, a licensed pharmacist is hardly something that is required for an online drugstore to get its work done, but it can be a nice touch. There is actually very little that he can do for a website, aside from giving it credibility – which can go a long way on the Internet.

If there is one aspect of the real world that online pharmacies simply lack the means to match up with properly, it is the so-called “human touch.” The Internet offers an extensive degree of anonymity, and this can make people comfortable with embarrassing purchases, but not so much in other circumstances. Human beings are social creatures and, deep down, a lot of the online commerce process can come across as dehumanizing, depending on the culture. The way things work when someone decides to buy medication online lacks a personal touch, that sense of being something other than data, a bank account, and a request.

Presentation and design

A simple brick-and-mortar pharmacy can still be very personable by virtue of the people behind the counter. A friendly and approachable pharmacist can go a long way towards making the store much more welcoming and likable. In contrast, online pharmacies lack this option and recognize that having something like that is unrealistic and financially impractical. Instead, an online drugstore focuses on the website itself. Designs are usually warm and relaxing, though some sites also find success with a sterile and clinical aesthetic. The idea is to make the site look welcoming and easy to navigate. The products are useless if nobody can figure out how to find them.

Ease of use

Going to a real pharmacy to place an order is a relatively simple process. You go, you present your prescription, and you pay for the medication. By contrast, the process for ordering from online pharmacies can seem needlessly complex. Most sites try to make the ordering process as simple as possible for their products. This includes making the order interface as user-friendly as possible and including instructions in areas where things might get confusing. Others manage to include phone numbers where customers can place the orders over the phone, providing both a humanizing, personal touch and an alternative to the cold, mechanical structure of a website.

No substitute

Ultimately, to humanize online pharmacies, there needs to be some form of actual human element. Depending on a company’s resources, this could mean anything from customer service hotlines to e-mail request forms that may get a response in three days’ time. However, there is really no way to replace human interaction in a non-human medium. It might not seem like a big deal, but that human, interpersonal connection goes a long way to reassuring potential customers. These people should be trained well in an online drugstore’s services and products.

The Internet – and online pharmacies, by extension – is not very human and is only just barely personal. There are ways to help alleviate this problem and the convenience it offers is a massive advantage, but sometimes, people want a more human touch to their activities. The online drugstore industry continually improves in this area, making sure that customers feel valued and trying to keep them coming back.

Online pharmacies may soon be offering a new drug for an eye condition related to diabetes. The US Food and Drug Administration is currently reviewing the new drug application for Iluvien, filed by pharmaceutical company Alimera Sciences. If that happens, it will be a positive development for patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) who buy medication online. This may turn out to be a prescription drug, though, so approval from a doctor is still important.

DME affects more than 75,000 people every year. It affects a tenth of diabetics and can cause blindness if it isn’t treated properly. There are several treatment options for DME, including laser treatment, but Iluvien will be the first DME medicine in the United States. Although it isn’t offered in online pharmacies just yet, DME patients are probably going to be able to use it in a few years, after FDA approval. Hopefully, it will be made available to those who buy medication online.

Online pharmacies will now have more choices in offering pills treating hypertension. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved a new hypertension medication called Tekamlo. It’s actually a combination of two active substances—Tekturna and amlodipine. These chemicals have different effects on the body, but they’ve been combined here. Pharmaceutical giant Novartis will produce the pill, which was proven to lower blood pressure significantly in controlled studies involving thousands of patients.

Why is this development important? Hypertension is a medical condition that can be fatal if left untreated. Most cases are called “primary hypertension,” which means that the high blood pressure isn’t caused by any other underlying condition. People with hypertension are more likely to suffer a heart attack, a stroke, or another related event. When Tekamlo becomes available in online pharmacies, though, those people will have more access to a drug that helps manage their condition more effectively.

Online pharmacies, like any other business that makes its way to the Internet, are subject to a lot of problems. The Internet is largely unregulated, and may indeed be impossible to really control, which means that the members of any given industry must find their own ways to deal with sites that give the legitimate firms a bad name. The online drugstore industry has gotten negative press, but it has also made headway into improving the situation. Slowly, it is adjusting to the concerns of the consumers and putting up a more legitimate, reliable front.

Privacy concerns

A major concern for people who buy medication online is the safety of their personal information. When placing an order, customers need to provide not only their name and address, but also financial information and, possibly, their medical history. Legitimate online pharmacies take great pride in acquiring certification from security specialists, such as McAfee, to show customers that their security measures are meeting a high standard. They will also have a publicly readable privacy policy assuring people that any information given will only be used in processing orders. In most countries, this can be considered legally binding.

Legitimate operations

Many are concerned over the legitimacy of some online pharmacies, particularly because anyone can just set up a website and sell counterfeit drugs. Genuine sites tend to display seals or present proof of legitimacy. Various organizations, including the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, maintain lists of websites that have been confirmed to be legitimate. The FDA also requires that any website based in the U.S. have a valid license to operate, even if they are only selling their medication online.

Self-regulation

One of the biggest problems that the online drugstore industry faces is regulation and policing. The Internet defies traditional jurisdiction limitations, such that it may be impossible for external forces such as government agencies to control things. As with the online casino industry, online pharmacies have realized that the websites have to police themselves. The easiest means of doing this is to set up an international board that reviews and certifies potential members, such that consumers can be confident that some authority has found nothing wrong with them. The Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites program is one such self-regulatory commission.

Online pharmacies are not perfect, and there will likely always be flaws in the system that some people will exploit. The industry has taken numerous measures to ensure that their customers are safe and their information remains private. Accreditation has also become very important, since it sets legitimate practitioners apart from the rogue sites. This accreditation helps clean up the online drugstore industry, maintaining safe places for people who buy medication online.

HRA Pharma recently announced that its pioneering emergency contraceptive medication ella has gotten approval from the Food and Drug Administration. This means that the drug is both safe and effective. Watson Pharmaceuticals will be its distributor in the United States, and hopefully it will be available in online pharmacies soon.

Ella prevents pregnancies for up to five days after intercourse. It’s a prescription pill, which means that people who buy medication online won’t be getting it without any authorization from a licensed physician. Still, this is good news for women who aren’t ready to be pregnant. It’s particularly useful in difficult cases such as sexual assault and potentially dangerous pregnancies.

The use of contraceptives is important in dealing with unwanted pregnancies. About 47 percent of unplanned pregnancies is directly tied to the practice of not using any kind of contraceptives. That’s 3 million women, according to the American Pregnancy Association. Even though purchasing it requires a prescription, ella may be worth it, having been proven to serve its purpose.

A new study confirms the effectiveness of regulatory websites or agencies in identifying legitimate online pharmacies. The report appeared in the Public Library of Science One, and it showed that internet drugstores that were certified by either PharmacyChecker or the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy offered genuine products. This was in stark contrast to sites that weren’t registered with either organization, as some of those sold more fake drugs.

As part of this study, researchers decided to buy medication online from more than 150 online pharmacies. NABP and PharmacyChecker-approved sites not only sold authentic medicine, but also required prescriptions before selling. The strict standards were set to distinguish rogue pharmacies from reputable ones.

This recent study confirms the effectiveness of having an external agency watching the online pharmacy industry. With more online pharmacies getting verification from regulatory bodies and verification sites like PharmacyChecker.com, rogue internet drugstores will soon have a very hard time getting business.

The main issue that many people have with the online drugstore industry is one that it shares with any field of business that makes its way online: the lack of regulation. The Internet is nearly impossible for anyone to keep tabs on at all times, and its international nature makes it difficult for governments to figure out just what they can do if a website violates local laws. When it comes to online pharmacies, the Food and Drug Administration has a few regulations in place to help protect consumers, but there are some emerging problems with this approach.

What the FDA has

Online pharmacies within the United States are still firmly under the jurisdiction of the FDA, which means their regulations still apply. This includes on-site inspections of the production facilities, valid pharmacy licenses, and limits on the available drugs to those that are legal to sell and produce within the United States. However, this does have limitations. While these are all very good for dealing with things in the real world, handling an online drugstore isn’t so easy. For one thing, it theoretically falls outside of the jurisdiction of U.S. law, so it could easily sell medication that is not available, and there are enough loopholes in import laws to get them through.

Utah’s measure

The state government of Utah recently created the Online Prescribing, Dispensing and Facilitation Board. This is the first actual step that any state authority has taken in an attempt to control online pharmacies. Customers who buy medication online within the state now fall under the protection and jurisdiction of this board. However, the Internet being what it is, there are some who debate whether or not this act is an empty one. It does bring up the fact that it is important to set limitations and regulations that will work for all online pharmacies.

Benefits and drawbacks

The primary benefit of this kind of approach to handling online pharmacies is that it provides a greater degree of controls. The FDA has numerous regulations, but ultimately, these are not enough. This kind of move attempts to bring legislation to a point where it can catch up with technology.

There are also drawbacks. The legal nature of the Internet is still a vague thing, and there are going to be questions on whether or not any one country’s government has the jurisdiction to regulate all of it. Most of the time, these sorts of things must be limited to having authority in only one country, but that limits its power and opens up potential exploits. Still, regulation of the online drugstore industry is a long overdue measure, and is one that will be welcomed by a lot of people who buy medication online.

The US Food and Drug Administration will be testing a new drug intended for the treatment of multiple sclerosis relapses. Merck Sorono filed a New Drug Application for its Cladribine Tablets, which was immediately taken up by the FDA and granted Priority Review status. That means a lot to MS patients who will want to look for the medicine in online pharmacies, assuming it’s offered there.

This development is important because it actually shortens the FDA review period from the usual ten months to just six months. This also signifies that the drug actually has a lot of promise in the treatment of specific conditions.

Multiple sclerosis is a disease that affects the brain and spine, causing affected people to experience symptoms such as muscle weakness, numbness, memory problems, and others. The condition affects 350,000 adults in the United States, and most victims are adults 20 to 50 years old. Medical experts still don’t know for sure what causes MS, but medications such as Cladibrine and others relieve some of the symptoms. Online pharmacies will be waiting for the results of FDA testing for this new drug.

US online pharmacies are going to be regulated at some point. The state of Utah led the way when it passed Senate Bill 274 last March. The bill, called the Online Prescribing, Dispensing, and Facilitation Licensing Act, requires the creation of a regulatory board under the state’s Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing. It’s the first oversight agency specifically targeting the internet pharmaceutical industry, and it seems like a good idea for the federal government to follow suit.

With this new board, people in Utah who buy medication online will certainly have more state protection from rogue online pharmacies, which really don’t sell drugs legally. Some of these websites are scammers who simply want to take the money and run. This online pharmacy regulatory board licenses legitimate internet drugstores operating in the state.

Online pharmacies earned $12 billion in 2008, which something that rogue internet drugstores try to take advantage of. The Utah state government hopes to stop these kinds of illegal operations through this board. If it’s successful, expect this law to be imitated across the nation.