What are the signs of a suspiciously operating pharmacy?
First, e-pharmacies are suspect if they dispense prescription medications without requiring the consumer to mail in a prescription, and if they dispense prescription medications and do not contact the patient s prescriber to obtain a valid verbal prescription. Further, online pharmacies are suspect if they dispense prescription medications solely based upon the consumer completing an online questionnaire without the consumer having a pre-existing relationship with a prescriber and the benefit of an in-person physical examination. State boards of pharmacy, boards of medicine, FDA, as well as the AMA, condemn this practice and consider it to be unprofessional. Second, online pharmacies should have a toll-free phone number as well as a street address posted on their site. If the pharmacy merely has an e-mail feature, so that the sole means of communication between the consumer and the pharmacy is via e-mail, this is a suspect site. Third, legitimate sites allow consumers to contact pharma
