online only pharmacy

delllat

whats involved in opening one of these ?

is it difficult to get a licence?

would 1 fully qualified pharmacist + a couple of students be enough to run it?

would it be better to set it up in the likes of pakistan or iran where pharmaceuticals are cheaper?

murphaph

Are there any existing examples of an online only pharmacy, registered by the IMO? It's illegal to import drugs of any kind from outside the state unless you are carrying them personally (and they are prescribed!). People have been charged with importing controlled drugs quite recently (I think they bought them from a canadian website).

You may find this is a non-runner with current legislation.

obladee

Impossible, methinks.

But check with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland

I suspect the only medicines you would be able to sell are those that can be sold in a corner shop, as for anything prescription only, no chance.

delllat

i was just wondering as it must be legal in some countries to sell pharmaceuticals judging by the sheer amount of sites that are doing it

they cant all be dodgy because some of them accept credit cards,bank transfers,sell official branded medications etc


for an example google "viagra online" and see how many pharmacies are selling it

murphaph

Guess how much of that "Viagra" is counterfeit. Medicine is one item I would NEVER buy online from a foreign website. If someday the law was changed and I could buy prescriptions from Boots/Unicare etc. online then maybe but absolutely no way would I trust online meds from anyone else tbh. At best you might get a placebo, at worst you might get a different (possibly harmful) drug(s).

TheWaterboy

had the same idea to open one of these a few months ago - contacted the bodies that be to enquire about a license. Illegal to open one was the result.

In the UK it is legal though - you can register as a "mail order pharmacy"

I was going to make millions :-(

delllat

TheWaterboy wrote: »

had the same idea to open one of these a few months ago - contacted the bodies that be to enquire about a license. Illegal to open one was the result.

In the UK it is legal though - you can register as a "mail order pharmacy"

I was going to make millions :-(

is it not possible to launch a companie inn a country which you dont reside in?

madmik

delllat wrote: »

is it not possible to launch a companie inn a country which you dont reside in?

its possible in some countries,the problem is you may only be allowed to sell to that country

you wont be allowed to ship to stricter countries where medicine is more heavily controlled

murphaph

delllat wrote: »

is it not possible to launch a companie inn a country which you dont reside in?

Yeah, but you can't ship any product to Ireland. It'd be hard to control an online retail business if you don't reside in the country where the goods are processed and dispatched from, don't you think?

The Guvnor

I was aware of the UK laws and the same applies in other countries as well!

I understand the basic premise dellat is asking:

• Can someone set up a business in another country?
• Yes they can.
• Can you sell prescription only medicines online?
• Yes you can.
• Can said company send these goods anywhere?
• Yes they can.
• Who is responsible for adhering to local laws?
• It is really the responsibility of the consumer.

The key thing here is can he sit at home and handle all the marketing of this website from his laptop in Ireland and make money from it without breaking any laws?

I am sure there is a way to set this up so as you benefit merely as a consultant or something but it's a minefield!

delllat

The Guvnor wrote: »

I was aware of the UK laws and the same applies in other countries as well!

I understand the basic premise dellat is asking:

• Can someone set up a business in another country?
• Yes they can.
• Can you sell prescription only medicines online?
• Yes you can.
• Can said company send these goods anywhere?
• Yes they can.
• Who is responsible for adhering to local laws?
• It is really the responsibility of the consumer.

The key thing here is can he sit at home and handle all the marketing of this website from his laptop in Ireland and make money from it without breaking any laws?

I am sure there is a way to set this up so as you benefit merely as a consultant or something but it's a minefield!

most of the above is correct however if you ship a controlled substance into a country where its illegal or perscription only you are breaking intrnational laws

a good example of this was in 2007 when an american federal task force went to thailand and with the help of thai police they busted a load of people who were selling painkillers and anabolic steroids.(these are legal in thailand but illegal in america)

The Guvnor

Hi Dellat,

I understand all of this and am aware of the case you cited. However the items in question are class A in the USA but possession for personal use or importation for personal use is not illegal in Ireland or the UK.

The point is - you are merely a consultant and you are not shipping anything or handling anything, merely offering views and assistance on marketing.

I know it is not straight forward but it is an interesting question as to where you fall in terms of the law?

delllat

The Guvnor wrote: »

Hi Dellat,

I understand all of this and am aware of the case you cited. However the items in question are class A in the USA but possession for personal use or importation for personal use is not illegal in Ireland or the UK.

The point is - you are merely a consultant and you are not shipping anything or handling anything, merely offering views and assistance on marketing.

I know it is not straight forward but it is an interesting question as to where you fall in terms of the law?

this reminds me of a tv program i watched a while ago

theres a site called escortireland where a guy is running a prostitution ring in ireland from another country where prostitution is not illegal

the guards tried to stop him BUT

escorting is legal-the sex part isnt so even when his girls got caught his business couldnt be touched..

his website was hosted in a country where prostritution is legal so that prevented the guards taking down the site

he isnt a resident of the state and so cant be brought before the courts because he doesnt have a pllace of residence for the guards to serve a warrant

hes apparently making millions and hes untouchable at the moment

TheWaterboy

Even if you were to base your business in the UK it still wont work.

The licence means that you are a pharmacy and also a mail order pharmacy so for prescription drugs to be sold online too, this means that you still need to present a prescription.

I have seen one or two sites in the UK that do this - they need you to scan, fax etc a copy of your prescription through before processiong your order.