Internet drug sellers legalised by UK government

The UK is set to follow in the US' footsteps by introducing virtual pharmacies, which will be able to dispense drugs online without a patient ever seeing a pharmacist in person.

In a government shake-up of the pharmaceutical industry, Whitehall has agreed to licence online and mail-order pharmacies to give patients better access to medical treatment, with pharmacies to be quicker and easier to open.

Previously, only pharmacies with a bricks and mortar presence could dispense online. While consumers might hope that internet pharmacies will save them standing in queues, they may yet be disappointed.

Two pilots of online pharmacies, which trialled electronic transmission of the prescriptions and another system where patients posted their prescriptions, have ended. The Department of Health (DoH) is now evaluating the results.

A DoH spokesman said electronic transmission would make the system fundamentally more secure. "Electronic transfer… will save errors from keying in the details and not having to decipher handwriting."

The government says any virtual pharmacies "must provide a fully professional service", such as promoting healthy lifestyles and providing advice on giving up smoking, with the Department of Health having the final say on which services the online pharmacies will be able to offer.

Some extra legislation may be needed before online pharmacies can open their virtual doors. The Act that governs pharmacies - the 1968 Medicines Act - only makes provision for bricks and mortar businesses.

The US has had online pharmacies for some years and has seen Viagra spam and counterfeit drugs appear as a result. According to a recent study from analyst house JupiterResearch, internet users are highly cautious about buying drugs online. In 2003, 19 million adults bought their prescriptions online and between two and 4.1 million purchased their drugs through rogue or foreign pharmacies.

The DoH, however, doesn't foresee the same trends emerging in the UK. Online pharmacies will have to meet the same standards as bricks and mortar ones and will be inspected and regulated by the same authorities.

"There will be little incentive for dodgy pharmacists," a spokesman told silicon.com, because the Prescription Payment Authority won't contribute their side of the payment for prescriptions.