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A roundtable event in parliament yesterday (June 22) heard that search engines and social media companies must do more to address the growing threat of fake online pharmacies. 

The meeting was convened by the General Pharmaceutical Council and hosted by Sadik Al-Hassan MP, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Pharmacy.

Attendees from government, regulators, patient groups and other organisations discussed how unregulated pharmacies are distributing counterfeit medicines to the public and posing a significant public health threat.

GPhC chief executive Kathie Cashell said the regulator is launching an awareness campaign to help the public understand the risks involved in using these sites and how to identify registered pharmacies.

Ms Cashell also called on search engines and social media companies to prioritise registered pharmacies in search results and take down illegal sites more quickly, as well as urging payment providers to disrupt illegal operators by blocking transactions. 

Mr Al-Hassan said: “Fake online pharmacies are a very serious and complex public safety issue.

“This roundtable has brought together key players from across the system to begin building a shared understanding of the problem and, crucially, to identify where we must act together.

“Protecting patients from fake online pharmacies and unregulated and unsafe medicines will require coordinated action – from Government and enforcement agencies to tech platforms and payment providers.

“I look forward to working closely with the GPhC and all others involved on the next steps to tackle this issue.”

GPhC chair Gisela Abbam commented: “Patient safety must come first. Today’s discussion marks an important step in strengthening collaboration across the system.

“By working together, we can make it much harder for illegal operators to reach patients and ensure people can access medicines safely and with confidence.”