E-pharmacy

[Juanjo Pollreisz]

This 3-year project funded by the UKRI Health Systems Research Initiative started in 2021 and aims to assess the performance of e-pharmacies in India and Kenya and analyse regulatory systems for improving medicine quality, safety and accessibility.

The project uses mixed methods to generate high-quality evidence on the performance of LMIC e-pharmacy markets and potential policy options to guide policy makers, regulators and other stakeholders in LMICs on approaches for strengthening regulation and improving the quality, safety and accessibility of medicine provision.

Access to essential medicines is a critical building block of the health system, but many low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) continue to face major challenges in ensuring medicine accessibility, affordability and quality. The sale of medicines online, or e-pharmacy, represents a major disruption to pharmacy provision across the globe. Whilst e-pharmacy was initially the preserve of high-income countries, in the past decade it has been growing rapidly in LMICs, and this growth was further catalysed by widespread lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is a mixed methods study employing online data extraction, standardised patient surveys, document review and qualitative interviews. A key focus will be methodological innovation in adapting approaches for studying the public health implications of brick-and-mortar pharmacies to the digital world.

The study is being conducted in Kenya and India. We adopt a national perspective for both countries. In addition, given the devolved nature of regulation in India, WP3 and WP4 also investigate state level regulation. We draw on a body of regulatory theories to both analyse the performance of regulation and explain its evolution.

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E-Pharmacy is a business concept that, like traditional pharmacies, deals with the preparation and sale of prescription and non-prescription pharmaceuticals. Online pharmacies, on the other hand, accept orders online and mail the medications to their intended recipients.

Because the internet has become such an integral part of our lives, it's no wonder that pharmacies have begun to transition to an online platform. What is an online pharmacy, exactly? The internet pharmacy, like traditional pharmacies, deals with the preparation and sale of prescription and non-prescription medications. Online pharmacies, on the other hand, accept orders online and mail the medications to their intended recipients. Around 32,500 online pharmacists work to protect public health around the world by providing services within legal bounds.

Drug sales via the internet began in the late 1990s and quickly spread around the world. With this quick transformation, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established a section on its official website titled "Buying medications over the Internet," emphasizing the need for individuals to follow the FDA's published instructions while dealing with illicit online pharmacies. The benefits of internet pharmacy are currently a hot topic of discussion. It is vital to examine the benefits of online pharmacies in order to fully comprehend the subject.

E-Pharmacy is a type of pharmacy that sells and distributes drugs through the internet. The process of acquiring drugs has grown considerably easier and more convenient thanks to the internet. Patients can use the internet to order prescription drugs from registered pharmacists and have them delivered to the nearest delivery point. Traditional pharmacies have begun to be replaced by the E-Pharmacy model, which is incredibly simple to use and is rapidly spreading.

Patients download mobile applications from MedleyMed on their phones or tablets as a first step. The next submit a request for drugs to the system by uploading a copy of their scanned prescriptions. A staff of registered pharmacists oversees every drug request placed into the system. Registered pharmacists send prescriptions to the pharmacy warehouse in the region where the pharmaceuticals will be given to the patient if they are valid. This unique technology can be used on both mobile and online platforms and is both secure and simple to use.

• Ordering prescription medications with E-Pharmacy is a breeze. This technique is both a very easy and a very rapid manner of receiving medicine, especially for persons who live far away from a traditional pharmacy, the elderly, disabled people, and those who work very hard. Furthermore, shipping is far less expensive than going to a traditional pharmacy.
• Time savings is one of the most significant benefits of the E-Pharmacy application. You can place an order for your medication in a matter of minutes and receive your prescription medications in a matter of days. All you have to do is enter your prescription into the mobile app or website to place an order. You won't have to go to the drugstore, and you won't have to wait in line at the pharmacy.
• Purchasing medications over the internet also saves money. According to studies, buying medications online can save you up to a third of your entire cost.
• Another benefit of E-Pharmacy is the privacy and secrecy it provides. This technique is especially useful for those who are apprehensive of speaking with doctors and pharmacists face to face. Furthermore, consumers can order drugs without having to worry about shame when it comes to sensitive topics like sexuality or adolescence.
• Patients benefit greatly from e-pharmacy, which provides a considerably wider selection of options than a traditional pharmacy. Although it is impossible to find every drug in a physical pharmacy in a given location, general drug stores have a far larger selection of drugs.
• A drug verification technique is used by the majority of legal retailers that deal with E-Pharmacy. After completing a questionnaire about the patient's health situation, these stores either obtain a prescription from a personal doctor or apply for medicine delivery. Before being delivered, these questionnaires must be approved by a doctor.
• Some internet pharmacies provide valuable information on medications and ailments. It includes essential links to medical resources, universities, and government entities, as well as beneficial information.

The internet and communication technology (ICT) has advanced dramatically in recent years, empowering consumers like never before. Today's consumer has access to thousands of items and services at the press of a mouse. It has not only increased the variety and range of products available, but it has also saved users time and money.

Following the trend, a few companies, most notably startups, have begun selling medicine and other healthcare products via the internet. E-pharmacy, or internet medicine, is the word for this notion. E-pharmacy has received a lot of consumer and venture capital funding in a short period of time. Similarly, governments throughout the world have implemented regulations and standards for online buying and selling of medicine in order to control the business of e-pharmacy and protect consumer rights.

The MedleyMed E-Pharmacy Software was created to help you take your pharmacy online. For retail pharmacies without an internet presence, the E- Pharmacy platform is a cloud-based digital solution. The program was created by industry specialists just for you to expand your business online. It gives you an easy-to-set-up digital storefront so you can serve a wider range of clients.

As you may be aware, internet medicine is becoming increasingly popular around the world as a result of the convenience and possibilities it provides to purchasers. Aside from the pricing advantage, it provides consumers with privacy, which has helped it become a favored mode of purchase for many buyers. Buyers can submit orders online at any time of day, and the orders are processed and fulfilled by online pharmacies after prescription verification. This has given dealers an additional route to offer drugs without having to hire more people. Online pharmaceutical sales can help you increase your profits without adding much to your costs.

The rise of internet pharmaceutical delivery is posing a serious threat to brick-and-mortar pharmacies. MedleyMed ePharmacy is a low-cost pharmacy solution that gives you an online platform to compete against other pharmacies. All prescription and non-prescription medicines can be sold online for a very low price.

You can convert your existing over-the-counter clients to online consumers, allowing them to order medicines 24 hours a day, seven days a week from the comfort of their own homes. Your clients will have online access to your pharmacy's real-time inventory 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This will keep customers from switching to another online pharmacy, increasing your sales and improving your business.

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The recent growth of medicine sales online represents a major disruption to pharmacy markets, with COVID-19 encouraging this trend further. While e-pharmacy businesses were initially the preserve of high-income countries, in the past decade they have been growing rapidly in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Public health concerns associated with e-pharmacy include the sale of prescription-only medicines without a prescription and the sale of substandard and falsified medicines. There are also non-health-related risks such as consumer fraud and lack of data privacy. However, e-pharmacy may also have the potential to improve access to medicines. Drawing on existing literature and a set of key informant interviews in Kenya, Nigeria and India, we examine the e-pharmacy regulatory systems in LMICs. None of the study countries had yet enacted a regulatory framework specific to e-pharmacy. Key regulatory challenges included the lack of consensus on regulatory models, lack of regulatory capacity, regulating sales across borders and risks of over-regulation. However, e-pharmacy also presents opportunities to enhance medicine regulation-through consolidation in the sector, and the traceability and transparency that online records offer. The regulatory process needs to be adapted to keep pace with this dynamic landscape and exploit these possibilities. This will require exploration of a range of innovative regulatory options, collaboration with larger, more compliant businesses, and engagement with global regulatory bodies. A key first step must be ensuring that national regulators are equipped with the necessary awareness and technical expertise to actively oversee this e-pharmacy activity.

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