Could we imagine buying our medications online? Roselyne Bachelot, the Minister of Health, is considering this possibility. To align with other European countries like Germany, the Netherlands, or the United Kingdom, she is thinking about legalizing the sale of certain products on the Internet (painkillers, venotonics, weight loss products, etc.) that are sold over-the-counter in pharmacies. She aims to regulate the online sale of pharmaceutical products, which is gaining popularity. According to a recent study conducted for the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, 2.3 million French people have purchased online, mostly sexual stimulants and weight loss products.
Jean-Marie Soyer, president of the union of pharmacists in Alpes-Maritimes, was not pleased with the information broadcasted on April 8, 2010, in the media. He questions the evolution of French pharmacy: “I don’t know what good it will bring. In France, the local network allows pharmacies to be found across the entire territory, even in rural areas.”
A Risk of Counterfeiting
Currently, the remedies obtained in pharmacies come from pharmaceutical laboratories. These are guaranteed products that comply with traceability standards. By legitimizing the sale of drugs online, the risk of counterfeiting remains. “The supply may no longer be the same,” states Jean-Marie Soyer.
Another issue: the lack of advice. While pharmacists remain available to their clients, purchasing therapeutic products online will no longer allow for personalized follow-up.
For now, the sale of medications on the Internet remains hypothetical. France remains independent in public health matters in relation to European legislation.
But isn’t there a trivialization of remedy sales? For two years, the “official medicine” decree has allowed 248 products to be sold freely in pharmacies.
