Is it Illegal to Order Medicine Over the Internet?
The legality of ordering medicine over the Internet depends on many different factors, including whether a prescription was used and whether the drug is approved by the FDA. Although many online pharmacies are legal, consumers need to avoid illegal foreign pharmacies.
Other People Are Reading
-
Rules
-
Buying medicine over the Internet is legal if a valid doctor's prescription is used to buy a drug that has been approved by the FDA.
Benefits
-
Buying prescription drugs over the Internet sometimes results in lower costs. For those who live in rural areas, online pharmacies may be the most convenient way to get medicine.
-
Misconceptions
-
Buying medicine from online pharmacies that only ask customers to answer a questionnaire instead of requiring a prescription from a doctor is not legal. It's still illegal even if the answers from the questionnaire justifiy a prescription from the pharmacy's doctor.
Exception
-
If a drug not approved for use in the United States is imported from a foreign pharmacy, FDA inspectors may allow importation if it is for personal use of a serious condition.
Problems
-
Foreign online pharmacies do not always deliver the right drug. In a few cases, they deliver counterfeit medicine, expired medicine, or a medicine with the wrong strength.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Robert S. Donovan
