Buying medicines safely online
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) launched the #FakeMeds campaign in August 2016 to tackle the growing issue of falsified, unlicensed and counterfeit medicines and medical devices bought online.
The campaign aims to educate people about the risks of taking fake medicines and about how to avoid purchasing fake medicines online.
We are supporting the campaign and would encourage all pharmacy professionals and pharmacy owners to also get involved.
The campaign is expected to run for at least three years and is initially targeting 18-30 year olds. The MHRA is finding innovative ways of engaging people, including working with Coronation Street on a storyline about the risks of slimming pills and holding a week of action in January on the risks of using sport supplement ingredient DMAA.
Other medicines or healthcare products that will be featured during the campaign include:
- Condoms
- STI self-test kits
- Erectile dysfunction medication
- Smart drugs
- Anti-depressants
- Sleeping medication
- Anti-psychotic/anxiety medication