While it used to be impossible to buy medication without first consulting a doctor, this is no longer the case. To serve a greater number of people, pharmacists have developed a way for everyone to buy medication without a prescription: the online pharmacy. How does it work, and what does the law say about it?
Are online pharmacies really legal?
According to the ordinance of November 19, 2012, the online sale of medications is now legally permitted. However, this same ordinance, underlined by Article L. 5125-34 of the Public Health Code, imposes conditions and limits. It stipulates that online pharmacies may carry out their activity as remote drug sellers but may only offer for sale 10% of the medications sold in land-based pharmacies.
But online pharmacies weren’t satisfied with this and protested. In response, the Council of State decided to expand the list of medications that can be sold online from the current 455 to 3,000. These medications can be purchased without a prescription.
However, this freedom of sale is accompanied by some guidelines to avoid any misunderstandings by the public. These online pharmacies, just like the case of the on-call pharmacy, must classify all the medications they have in an objective, clear and non-misleading manner.
So is it possible to buy medicines online and how?
As stated above, yes, you can buy medications without a prescription online. Also, keep in mind that there are physical pharmacists who have set up legal websites to sell their medications to people who need them. These websites can request your prescription using the “click and collect” system to confirm its authenticity. You, on the other hand, must scan it.
To obtain these medications and before giving them to you, the online pharmacist must present this prescription to the relevant physical pharmacy. This means that no prescription medication can be ordered online and delivered to your home without any control.
Medicines sold online
If you want to know which medications you can order online without a prescription, there are 3,000 of them. Most of them are medications for allergies, colds, headaches and sore throats, bloating, diarrhea or constipation, pain, hemorrhoids, smoking cessation, etc. Among the medications sold online, you will find Doliprane, Nurofen, Actifed, Betaine Citrate, Lysopaïne, Donormyl, in short, first aid medications.
This means that you can perfectly follow your treatment on these platforms if these medications can solve your problem. You can get all modes of injections (oral, cutaneous, sublingual, rectal, injectable, etc.) and all forms of medication online, whether capsules, injections, sachets, tablets, etc.
Also, remember that pharmaceutical products such as shower gels, perfumes, hydrosols, floral waters, hair care, moisturizers, makeup, cosmetics, and hygiene products can also be sold online.
