Ordering your medicine online? Find a safe pharmacy first.

Medicines have helped change lives for thousands of years. Take for example, the first successful smallpox vaccine developed in 1796 to protect against the disease. Or the invention of insulin in 1921, which reduced the mortality rate of people living with diabetes. Likewise, discoveries today have made the first FDA-approved medication available to treat a rare skin disease called generalized pustular psoriasis that causes life-threatening, painful blisters if left untreated.

We have come a long way in scientific discovery and with that comes a responsibility to ensure people receive legit and reliable medicines, whether they buy their prescriptions online or at a pharmacy.

Buying medicine online

If you buy your medication online, look for these signs to verify that the medicine is safe to use:

1. The site you’re ordering from should require a doctor’s prescription.
2. Verified pharmacies have a web domain/URL ending with .pharmacy.
3. There should be a valid U.S. physical address, phone number, and name for a licensed pharmacist on staff to answer any questions.
4. There should be no change in how your medication looks. Make sure that your medication hasn’t been opened, that your tablets are the same as usual, and there’s no misspelled words on your packaging.

Get your prescription with confidence

If you’d like to learn more about safely buying medication online, visit Safe.Pharmacy to confirm that your pharmacy is reputable and to report a suspicious site. This is an excellent resource for you to feel confident and informed about where you get your medication online.

If you buy your medication in person, please consider relying on community or commercial pharmacies. Avoid getting medication from corner stores or farmers markets.

Reporting fake medication

If you think your medication is counterfeit, please reach out to:

1. Pharmaceutical company where your medication is developed, like Boehringer Ingelheim.
2. FDA – MedWatch