The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), the pharmacy regulator for Great Britain, has published updated guidance that all online pharmacies are expected to follow, in response to concerns identified relating to unsafe prescribing and supply of medicines online.

The updated guidance emphasises that for high-risk medicines, the prescriber cannot base prescribing decisions on the information provided in an online questionnaire alone. Instead, the prescriber has to independently verify the information the person provides, either through timely two-way communication with the person, accessing the person's clinical records, or contacting the person's GP, their regular prescriber, or a third-party provider. 

Medicines used for weight-management and medicines requiring physical examination before a prescribing decision is made have been added to the list of high-risk medicines requiring extra safeguards before being prescribed. Under the new guidance, the prescriber has to independently verify the person's weight, height and/or body mass index, to support safer decision making and ensure that the supply is appropriate for the person.

The updated guidance also says there should always be a means of having two-way communication between the person and the prescriber for all online prescribing.

Duncan Rudkin, chief executive at the GPhC, said: ‘The message of this updated guidance is clear; online pharmacies should only supply a medicine if the prescriber has had an appropriate consultation with the person, and has made sure they have all the necessary information to check if that medicine is safe and suitable for them. For high-risk medicines, online pharmacies need to put even more safeguards in place, including always independently verifying the information provided by the person before supplying that medicine.

‘We have listened carefully to feedback we had from organisations representing pharmacy and patients, and have further strengthened the guidance, including in relation to the steps a prescriber has to take before prescribing a high-risk medicine.'