Don't get duped: Here's how to avoid online pharmacy risks

Type the words "best online pharmacy" into a search engine, and you'll find countless options promising prescription drugs delivered right to your door at discount prices. Just be careful if you plan to place an order. Many online pharmacies are unscrupulous purveyors of potentially harmful products. It takes some know-how to identify legitimate pharmacies selling approved medications.

Online pharmacy dangers

The vast majority of online pharmacies are rife with risks, according to the FDA and the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), an independent nonprofit group.

The NABP has found that at least 40,000 online pharmacies aren't complying with patient safety standards or laws; about 95% of websites offering prescription-only drugs operate illegally; and 89% of illegal online pharmacies don't require prescriptions for prescription-only drugs. Yes, it really is that bad.

What does that mean for consumers?

You don't know who you're dealing with. "It could be a pharmacy in another country that doesn't have the same level of quality control that we do, or it could be a fake pharmacy with a legitimate-looking storefront," says Joanne Doyle Petrongolo, a pharmacist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

You don't know what you're getting. "You can't tell if the pill you get has been stored properly, if it's expired, if it's the correct strength, or even if it's the right medication. Also, you don't know what else is in the product," Doyle Petrongolo says. The NABP found that some pills contain dangerous substances along with the medicine.

You're risking more than your health. The NABP reports that some online pharmacies are out to steal your personal information (putting you at risk of identity theft) or install malware on your computer.

Don't be scared off

Despite the risks, there are plenty of licensed, legitimate online pharmacies. Using them has many benefits. The main one is cheaper prices for certain drugs. "You can sometimes save hundreds of dollars, so it's worth considering," Doyle Petrongolo says.

Other reasons to use online pharmacies include the convenience of having medications delivered directly to your home, and privacy if you're too embarrassed to pick up certain drugs at the corner drugstore.

Ordering safely

To order prescriptions with the confidence that you're getting legitimate products, learn the signs of safe online pharmacies. These companies

• are licensed with a state board of pharmacy
• have a physical address and phone number, preferably in the United States
• require a doctor's prescription
• have a licensed pharmacist available to answer your questions
• have prices that aren't too good to be true
• clearly state that they don't sell your personal information.

How can you tell all that by looking a website? Doyle Petrongolo recommends using the NABP's Buy Safely tool (https://safe.pharmacy/buy-safely), which allows you to type in an online pharmacy website (the website address, not the name of the pharmacy) to see if it's been verified by the NABP.

You can also look for a symbol on the pharmacy website indicating that it's NABP-accredited. The symbol resembles a vertical infinity sign (like the number 8) inside a red circle, and has the words "NABP Accredited Digital Pharmacy." Examples of online pharmacies with this symbol are Amazon's pharmacy service (https://pharmacy.amazon.com) and HealthWarehouse.com (www.healthwarehouse.com).

And before you order anything online, remember that you can sometimes find prices that are just as good — or better — at a local pharmacy. "You don't have to look for deals on medications that have been around for a long time, like hydrochlorothiazide or atenolol to treat blood pressure, or simvastatin to treat high cholesterol," Doyle Petrongolo says. "You think they'll be more affordable somewhere else, but they're actually often cheaper — just a few dollars — at a local drugstore or big-box store."

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