Buying medicines online? Know these 5 essential safety checks before placing an order

How safe are your online medicines? Follow this 5-point safety checklist before buying them.

With just a few taps, you can buy almost anything online, including medicines. Buying medicines online may be convenient, especially when prescriptions can be uploaded and orders delivered directly to your doorstep.

But this convenience should not come at the cost of safety. Several factors should be carefully considered before placing an order.

Shashank Rai, co-founder of DocPharma, shared the key things to check before buying medicines online and explained why they matter. First, he highlighted a golden rule: “Do not just check what you paid. Check what you received, and where it came from. And take these checks just as seriously, whether you are ordering online or buying across the counter; the medicine does not know the difference, so neither should you.”

Therefore, price and convenience should not be the only priorities when buying medicines. Make sure you check several details, including the composition, source, batch number, expiry date, and condition of the medicine before taking it. These precautions apply to medicines purchased both online and over the counter, as safety risks may arise through either mode of purchase.

Here's a brief guide shared by Rai that outlines the essential checks people buying medicines online should make, along with ‘questions’ you should ask yourself:

1. Understand how the order is being placed

Medicines may be ordered online in three ways:

• Direct search: Used to purchase over-the-counter medicines that do not require a prescription.
• Search with prescription: The customer searches for a specific medicine and uploads a prescription. The platform should verify whether the medicine in the cart matches the prescription.
• Prescription upload: Customer uploads a handwritten or manual prescription, which the platform digitises and uses to add medicines to the cart.
• When a prescription is uploaded manually, compare the digitised cart with the original prescription.
• Consider confirming the medicines with the prescribing doctor if the handwriting is unclear.
• If the prescription is considered invalid and a fresh one is generated after a verification call, check whether any medicine, strength, or dosage has changed.
• Consult your primary treating doctor before taking any newly added or substituted medicines.

2. Do not mistake a discount for verification

A substantial discount does not automatically mean medicine is unsafe. Price should not be the primary factor.

Before purchasing, check:

• Whether the salt or composition matches the prescription.
• Whether the strength and formulation are correct.
• Where the seller procured the medicine.
• Whether the batch is close to its expiry date.
• Whether the medicine came from an authorised distributor or manufacturer.

Ask yourself: Have I checked the composition, purchase history, expiry date, and procurement source before considering the price?

3. Storage and transit both matter

Certain medicines are sensitive to temperature, light, or humidity, and lose potency long before their printed expiry date if stored or transported badly.

People should check:

• Whether the medicine requires specific storage conditions.
• How it was stored before dispatch.
• Whether the required temperature was maintained during transportation.
• Whether temperature-sensitive medicines were transported using appropriate monitoring systems.
• Whether the batch number, barcode, or QR code provides information about the medicine's journey through the supply chain.

Ask yourself: Can I verify how this medicine was stored and transported before it reached me?

Make sure you verify your medicines properly. (Picture credit: Freepik)

4. Trace the medicine before trusting it

A barcode or QR code on medicine helps verify important information about the product

Check if the code provides:

• Product name and manufacturing details
• Batch number
• Manufacturing and expiry dates
• Information about the manufacturer or source
• Details that match those printed on the physical pack

The QR code should be scanned instead of assuming that the medicine is genuine because the packaging looks authentic.

Ask yourself: Does this medicine carry a scannable code, and have I ever actually used it to check its source?

5. Check before you take

Before taking any medicine, compare the product received with the prescription and invoice.

Verify:

• Batch number on the strip matches the invoice.
• Expiry date is clearly printed and has not passed.
• MRP on the strip matches the invoiced product details
• These details are consistent across every strip, rather than only on the outer packaging
• Active ingredient, strength, and formulation match the prescribed medicine.
• Any substitute brand has been approved by a doctor or pharmacist.

Ask yourself: Do the batch number, expiry date, and MRP on the strip match my invoice, exactly?

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.