"Our main concerns are that the use of what they call an asynchronous supply, where the prescriber neither sees nor talks to the patient at the time they
issue the prescription, does lay itself open to perhaps people getting hold of medication that they shouldn't," the Head of Policy, PDA said.
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) engages in a critical conversation on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, shedding light on the online prescribing of weight
loss drugs and advocating for safer practices.
The PDA's spokesperson, Head of Policy Alima Batchelor, emphasised the importance of adhering to professional guidelines to ensure patient safety and mitigate
regulatory concerns.
During the feature, the PDA highlighted the complexities and risks associated with online supply chains, stressing the necessity for direct clinical consultations
and pharmacist involvement in medication management.
""There are guidelines and advice about verification within the DiCE guidance, but it doesn't go quite far enough for us. We are concerned when patients decline
to allow the online prescriber to advise their GP of what they're taking," Batchelor highlighted.
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has raised concerns over the rising risks related to online pharmacy services.
It revealed over 30 per cent of its open Fitness to Practise (FtP) cases were related to online pharmacy, which is disproportionate to the sector of the market that
online services occupy.
The regulator has advised pharmacists and pharmacy owners providing online services that they should "not work with online providers who try to circumvent the
regulatory oversight put in place within the UK to ensure patient safety".
In the past five months, the Council has imposed seven interim orders on the registration of pharmacists who have worked for or with online prescribing services -
after identifying serious concerns with their practice.
It said: "These pharmacists were working as pharmacist independent prescribers for online services or were dispensing medicines prescribed online. Some of these
pharmacists were the Responsible Pharmacist (RP) or the Superintendent Pharmacist (SP)."