Illegally operating internet sites selling medicines pose a significant public health risk to those patients/consumers purchasing online. These websites exhibit numerous concerning characteristics: they may provide prescription-only drugs without a prescription, offer consumers access to foreign and unapproved drugs, and sell what are often referred to as falsified medicines. They also, steal customers personal and financial information, and often belong to larger criminal networks. Appearances can be misleading as they look like legitimate pharmacy websites. In fact over 30,000 fake websites are targeted at the European Union countries at any given moment.

Research has shown that most potential purchasers are not aware of these alarming facts but having visited the educational website learned how to buy more safely online and were willing to change their behaviour.

Based on the good results from this educational campaign, EFNA and its members in collaboration with the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacy in the EU (ASOP EU) will be running a similar campaign. The following logo will be displayed on the home page of the Patient Group website and the reader then has the opportunity to learn more about this important area.

Numbers of visitors and traffic through the websites will be analysed with a view to gaining a better understanding of what readers are finding most relevant and interesting. In addition there is a survey that visitors can complete and again this will give rich information to better understand the motivations behind this activity.

If you would like more information about this project or would like assistance in uploading the advertisement on to the patient group website please contact Mike Isles Executive Director of the ASOP EU on +44 7540 462867 or mike.isles@asop.eu.