Spanish Government starts selling via the Internet of medicines for human use

USPA NEWS - The Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) has developed the web www.distafarma.aemps.es allowing the sale of medicines for human use not subject to medical prescription over the Internet.

The system, which on July 1 was launched across Europe will facilitate these purchases using a common European logo. The sale over the Internet of medicines is a growing e-commerce peculiar concern to health authorities worldwide because it can involve citizens access to medicines without guarantees of quality, safety and efficacy type. Illegal websites are the main access of patients to counterfeit drugs, with the risk to the health.

Therefore in 2011, the European Directive against counterfeit drugs regulated sales requirements through websites medicinal products for human use and established the creation of a common logo to identify the websites of the European Union lawfully sold these drugs. In 2014 the European Commission defined the characteristics of this logo that exhibit websites pharmacies and includes the flag of the country where they are located.

On the websites of the Spanish pharmacies, clicking on the logo to the list of pharmacies that can make such sales, which published every Spanish region, where you can verify the data in question will enter pharmacy. The AEMPS published on the web www.distafarma.aemps.es links to lists of the 17 regions. On websites of pharmacies enabled only possible acquisition of medicinal products not subject to medical prescription, also known as non-prescription drugs.

For the implementation of the new system, the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products, in collaboration with regional authorities, has developed a software application DISTAFARMA through which pharmacies wishing to perform this activity of distance selling so they can communicate electronically to the appropriate regional authority. In the same website citizens can also find a list of pharmacies located in the community that can perform distance selling of medicines for human use not subject to medical prescription.

With the new system, citizens who make these purchases will ensure that they do in a legally licensed pharmacy and purchase drugs that have the necessary guarantees of quality, safety and efficacy. In addition, to raise public awareness of the risks of acquiring illegal drugs in web pages European Commission has designed an information campaign, which has joined Spain, which will be launched in the coming weeks by the Competent Authority and regions.