With the onset of global pandemic (Coronavirus), people are looking for an online platform to order medicines online. Suppose you are planning to order medicine online. In that case, it becomes very important for you to verify the source you are using to order—as with the issue of any technology, buying drugs online has its advantages and perils.

As people have started buying medicines online, many counterfeit pharmacies are also popping up. These fake pharmacies rely on the fact that consumers may not judge whether the drugs they are buying are affected, as their websites often appear to be genuine. However, there are certain ways by which you can make out whether medicine is counterfeit; some of the visual cues are as follows.

• Always pay attention to the size
• Fake tablets may differ in colour from the original ones
• Name may have variations or spelling errors
• Packaging may be different from the original
• Always pay attention to the brand logo

Therefore, it becomes really important to ensure that e-pharmacy you are using genuine and sells authentic medicines. There are certain pointers that you need to make sure that the store you chose is a Trusted Source:

• The need of a prescriptions- When someone is selling you a fake medicine their objective is not to help but only to make money, while in the cases of trusted pharmacies they will ask for prescriptions from a legal practitioner as they are bounded by the law.
• Looking for Licensed Pharmacy- Always look for a license when you are planning to buy medicine online because if a store is selling fake drugs, they will not have the permit as they don’t leave paper trails behind, so always go for online stores that possess the government-issued license.
• Foreign Websites – You need to be careful of this, never trust a foreign website as there is no way you can ensure the authenticity of medicines sold by other country websites. The best advice is to buy products from the websites that are native to your region. 
• Brand Name- It is something that every consumer needs to notice; brand value guarantees that the product that you are getting are genuine and are of the utmost quality. The brand always wants to serve their customers as they want to build a long-term relationship.
• Customer Reviews – It is a fail-proof way to know about the online store, look for Google reviews, and other platforms where you can understand what customers wrote about them. You can talk to other customers and ask about their experiences.

The above precautionary measures will help you find an open store, but as a consumer, try to take medicine under a healthcare professional’s supervision. They will guide you on whether a treatment is suitable for you, the dosage is right or not, possible side effects, and how to consume those medicines.

Joyce Laroche