Survey of 27 sites of online pharmacies and parapharmacies. Three years after the last analysis, in addition to having recorded a 59% increase in the creation of sites authorized for sale, little has changed: there are still some aspects to improve. For example, one of the main pain points is the lack of control over the number of packages purchased. Furthermore, there is often no correspondence between the online price and the one applied in the relevant point of sale. In other cases, the physical exercise that must be connected to the site is nowhere to be found or it is difficult to contact a pharmacist in case of need.
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From physical stores to online shopping, the pandemic has forced us to change our shopping habits and experiences, especially when it comes to medicines. In fact, it only takes a few clicks to buy the drugs we need more quickly and conveniently via the internet. However, it is necessary to be careful, since when it comes to medicines it is essential to act in complete safety. In fact, in addition to the wallet, we could also risk damaging our health. In order to guide consumers in choosing the best online service, Altroconsumo conducted a survey on 27 pharmacy and parapharmacy sites, highlighting the critical issues that should be resolved.
SITES AUTHORIZED FOR SALE INCREASING 59% SINCE 2019
In order for a pharmacy or a parapharmacy to sell online, the site must correspond to a physical business in the area, authorized by the authorities, complete with the logo of the Ministry of Health indicating “Click here to check if this website is legal”. In addition, online pharmacies can only sell drugs that do not require a prescription.
The survey sample was detected on the basis of 3 criteria: sites that have a high number of drugs, those that appear on the first pages of search engine results and those that were more convenient in the search were taken into consideration. previous investigation by Altroconsumo in 2019. After 3 years, in addition to having registered a 59% increase in the creation of sites authorized for sale, little has changed: there are still some aspects to improve. For example, one of the main pain points is the lack of control over the number of packages purchased. Furthermore, there is often no correspondence between the online price and the one applied in the relevant point of sale. In other cases, the physical exercise that must be connected to the site is nowhere to be found or it is difficult to contact a pharmacist in case of need. Clearer directives and greater controls are therefore needed in order not to invalidate the legislation: to report the persistence of these problems, Altroconsumo sent the results of the investigation to all the institutions involved.
16 OF THE 27 WEBSITES CONTAIN THE LOGO AND THE LINK TO THE MINISTRY ON ALL PRODUCTS
The online pharmaceutical world is regulated by the Ministry of Health, which clarifies that the online sale of over-the-counter drugs is only allowed on the sites of authorized pharmacies and parapharmacies. In fact, the logo with the link to the ministry should only appear on the pages relating to drugs and not on those where cosmetics, supplements or other are sold. The results of the survey show that, on the other hand, of the 27 sites analyzed, only 16 have it anywhere. Furthermore, only 4 explicitly give the possibility to contact a healthcare professional.
Not only that, a significant difference in price was also found, as indicated in the table below: the online drug is cheaper than the indicative price, but we must pay attention to the cost of shipping costs. The convenience index is obtained by processing the detected prices. Index 100 indicates the cheapest online pharmacy. If the index is 110, for example, it means that prices are 10% more expensive than the cheapest site.
Finally, since these are volatile prices, Altroconsumo advises you to always take a tour of different online pharmacies before buying, an operation which, compared to physical pharmacies, is by far a faster action. In fact, among the drugs considered in the sites tested by the investigation, these are the 3 with the greatest price differences from one site to another (data collected in July 2022). In first place, Iridina recorded a difference of 286%, going from a minimum price of € 3.30 on topfarmacia.it, to the maximum price on lloydsfarmacia.it (€ 9.45).
Flector follows, with a difference of 216%, going from € 6.90 on pharmaciasoccavo.it, to € 14.50 on farmafarma.it. In third place, Maalox Plus goes from € 4.84 up to € 8.55 on docfarma.it with a difference of 176%.
“It is essential to keep in mind that the right of withdrawal does not apply to drugs, medical devices and in general to products that can deteriorate or expire quickly. In addition, it is possible to deduct purchases of drugs and medical devices from the tax return, but it is necessary to verify that the site allows you to enter your tax code. Finally, in order to avoid dangerous interactions, it is necessary to be careful if you take other drugs or have any doubts, contacting your doctor and / or the pharmacy to ask if the drugs you are about to order can interact in a harmful way “, concludes Altroconsumo. .
October 24, 2022
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