Delaware News: Illegal Internet Operations

June 1, 2007 10:14 AM Topics: Internet pharmacy

Published in the June 2007 Delaware State Board of Pharmacy Newsletter

Most pharmacists are aware of Web sites that exist whereby the public can purchase prescription medications without having a patient-practitioner relationship. Many of these sites require the person to complete a questionnaire that is allegedly reviewed by a licensed practitioner who authorizes the dispensing of a drug. No physical examination is conducted by the prescriber. Many times the medications are filled by the same pharmacy that is often found to be the initiator of the scheme.
The Board would like to advise you of another scheme that recently has come to our attention. In this case, illegal Internet operations are soliciting community pharmacies to act as “fulfillment” centers. The typical line is that an Internetbased operation will forward a number of prescriptions to the pharmacy on a daily/weekly basis, for which the pharmacy will receive a fee. These offers are too good to be true and pharmacists should not accept them. Pharmacists who receive such offers should gather as much
information as possible from the solicitor and forward the information obtained to the attention of the Board.