Non-prescription drugs are available in pharmacies, and since January 2013 on the Internet. But not on any site. The online sale of medications is indeed strictly supervised and must respect these four rules:
– The website must be the extension of a pharmacy dispensary.
– It must be previously authorized by the Regional Health Agency (ARS).
– Online sales only concern drugs for which prescription is not compulsory.
– The health data collected must be hosted by an approved host.
The easiest way to verify that a site is authorized to sell drugs is to check if it appears on this list:
www.order.pharmacien.fr/ecommerce/search
Sale of medicines on the Internet: beware of falsifications
On the sites Internet unauthorized, the quality of medicines and their safety are not guaranteed. The risk: buying a falsified medicine. At best, this is inactive and therefore ineffective; at worst, it can be toxic and dangerous to health. Before placing an order, we systematically check that the site is on the list of one of these two bodies listing the sites for the sale of legally authorized drugs:
The Order of Pharmacists: www.ordre.pharmacien.fr (“The patient” section / “Sale of drugs on the Internet in France”)
The Ministry of Health: www.sante.gouv.fr (space “drugs.gouv.fr” / section “The drug circuit” / “The online sale of drugs”)
In 2015, a new European logo will make it possible to verify the reliability of an online drug sales site. You just have to click on this logo, composed of a white cross on a green background, to be redirected to the authorities listing the legally authorized sales sites.
