OnMedica – News – Online pharmacies will need to verify the patient's identity

Pharmacy Regulator Strengthens Online Pharmacy Requirements to Better Protect Patients

The regulator of the pharmacy has strengthened its guidelines for online pharmacies and will now require them to verify the identity of the patients for whom they prescribe medicines, to verify that the medicines are clinically appropriate and to share information with the patient's general practitioner.

The new set of requirements for online pharmacies to better protect patients seeking online medicines is described inAdvice to licensed pharmacies providing remote pharmacy services, including over the Internet'From the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).

A GPGC-commissioned online survey of YouGov found that while 25% of people think they will use online pharmacies in the future, 50% of those who say they do not do so may fear for their safety.

The guidelines indicate that online pharmacies must verify patient identity before prescribing drugs and suggest that the NHS Digital identity verification and authentication standard that is part of the new NHS login may be used . To do this, patients are required to provide a pbadport or driver's license with a photo ID, as well as a proof of address.

Additional safeguards will be put in place for some drugs, including antimicrobials; people who may abuse, abuse or abuse, such as opiates, sedatives, laxatives, pregabalin and gabapentin; those that require ongoing surveillance or management, such as those used to treat diabetes, asthma, epilepsy and mental health issues; and non-surgical cosmetics, such as Botox. In these cases, online pharmacies will need to ensure that the drug is clinically appropriate for the patient and proactively share all relevant information regarding the prescription with the patient's GP after seeking consent.

In the case of drugs likely to abuse, abuse or abuse, or where there is a risk of dependence and that a permanent follow-up is important, the online pharmacy should have verified that the GP confirmed to the prescriber that the prescription is appropriate and that follow-up is in place.

In cases where a patient does not have a general practitioner or regular prescriber, or if there is no consent to share information and the prescriber has always issued a prescription, the online pharmacy must ensure that the prescriber has recorded his file. justification for the issuance of the order.

Duncan Rudkin, CEO of GPhC, said, "We support pharmacy services provided in innovative ways, including online, as long as services are safe and effective for people. But providing online pharmacy services involves particular risks that must be managed successfully.

"People can be seriously exposed if they are able to get medications that do not suit them. We are currently implementing these updated guidelines with additional safeguards to protect people.

"I strongly encourage patients and the public wishing to obtain medication online to use only online pharmacies registered with us, in order to protect their health. These pharmacies must meet our standards and comply with these guidelines to provide safe and effective services. We will inspect pharmacies to make sure that is the case. "