Safety
Prevention
A fake does not always look suspicious: the package can be almost indistinguishable from the real one, and the seller's website neat and polite. What protects you is not the ability to spot a counterfeit by eye but the habit of buying where a medicine's journey can be traced from manufacturer to counter. Below is a routine that helps you keep that habit.
Even the most convincing discount cannot make up for the fact that nobody knows what is inside the package. A verified journey matters more than convenience or haste.
Before you start
- Your doctor's instructions, or a prescription if the medicine is prescription-only
- A few minutes to check the seller instead of ordering in a rush
- Access to official public registers (in Russia, those of the Ministry of Health and Roszdravnadzor)
- Willingness to walk away from the purchase if anything seems off
- The phone number of a pharmacy or clinic where you can ask a professional
Start with the prescription
Your starting point is what the doctor prescribed, not an ad or a tip from a group chat. If you are not sure exactly what you need and in what form, check with your doctor or pharmacist first.
Hypothetical example: "I wrote down the name from the prescription and asked the pharmacist whether there's a form with a different flavour for a child."
Choose a pharmacy, not a "supplier"
Medicines are sold legally by pharmacies. Websites that call themselves suppliers, wholesalers or "manufacturer's representatives" and are ready to ship a medicine to a private individual are not pharmacies.
Check the licence and permit
In Russia, only pharmacies with a licence and the corresponding permit may sell medicines at a distance; compare the company name on the site with Roszdravnadzor's registers. Elsewhere, check with your country's official regulator.
Hypothetical example: "The site footer lists a legal entity — I found it in the register and the address matches."
Make sure the medicine is registered
In Russia, the State Register of Medicines shows whether a medicine is authorised; other countries keep their own registers. If you cannot find an entry, ask a pharmacist, not a seller in a messenger app.
Watch the dispensing rules
If a pharmacy dispenses a prescription-only medicine without a prescription, it is breaking the rules, and that is a reason to doubt everything else. An honest seller will ask for the prescription.
Keep the receipt and inspect the package
Keep the receipt. At home, take a calm look at the package: is it intact, is the information readable, is there a leaflet in a language you understand? Discuss any doubts with a pharmacist at the same pharmacy.
Hypothetical example: "The box had no leaflet and a sticker over the text — I went back to the pharmacy with questions."
Do not take what you doubt
If the package looks different from usual, or you notice something unusual after taking it, do not carry on at your own risk. Tell your doctor or pharmacist.
Common mistakes
- Trusting a website because of a nice design and reviews that cannot be verified
- Getting medicine from a friend of a friend or through a classified ad
- Replying to private messages offering a "rare product from abroad"
- Assuming a foreign package is more reliable just because it is foreign
- Throwing away the receipt and package before the course is finished
- Swapping a prescribed medicine for "the same thing, only cheaper" without talking to your doctor
If that doesn't work
- If your nearest pharmacy does not have what you need, ask the pharmacist how to order it legally
- If a medicine is hard to find, discuss the possible options with your doctor
- If you cannot check a website yourself, call a pharmacy you already trust
- If you have doubts about a package you bought, do not take it and show it to a pharmacist
Check the result
- The purchase is based on a doctor's prescription
- The seller is a pharmacy, not a "supplier" or a private person
- The organisation is listed in the official registers (in Russia, Roszdravnadzor's)
- The medicine is in the official register of medicines (in Russia, the GRLS)
- Prescription-only medicine was dispensed only with a prescription
- Receipt and package are kept until the course is finished
Warning signs and what they mean
| Sign | Why it is a concern | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No company details | You cannot check who is selling or whether they hold a licence | Do not order; look for a pharmacy with public details |
| "No prescription needed" | Dispensing rules are broken at the very first step | Walk away and go to a legitimate pharmacy |
| Contact only via messenger | The seller cannot be traced if something goes wrong | Do not send money to private individuals |
| Promise of a "miracle substitute" | A doctor, not a seller, decides on changing treatment | Raise the question at your appointment |
| Shipping without proper storage | The medicine may have deteriorated in transit | Ask the pharmacy about transport conditions |
Related sections
- Questions
What to ask a doctor and pharmacist about prescribed treatment, a different package and taking part in trials.
- How it works
How development, registration and oversight, manufacturing and storage of medicines work — without names or regimens.
- Glossary
Terms you meet in package leaflets, registers and news about medicines — short and to the point.
Sources
- Roszdravnadzor (Russian federal health-care watchdog)
- State Register of Medicines (Ministry of Health of Russia)
- WHO — substandard and falsified medical products
Information is current as of the preparation date. Rules for registering medicines and selling them at a distance change from time to time, so check the official registers — in Russia, those of the Ministry of Health and Roszdravnadzor; elsewhere, your national medicines regulator — and ask a doctor or pharmacist about treatment.