Real Licensed Pharmacy vs Counterfeit Medicine Website
How to tell a legitimately registered online pharmacy from a rogue website selling counterfeit, substandard, or unregulated medicines that may be harmful.
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Counterfeit medicine websites often look professional and offer deeply discounted prices on prescription and over-the-counter drugs. The products they ship may contain the wrong active ingredient, incorrect doses, dangerous fillers, or nothing at all — posing serious health risks.
Side-by-side comparison
| Licensed online pharmacy | Counterfeit medicine website | |
|---|---|---|
| Registration status | Registered with the national medicines regulator (e.g., GPhC in the UK, NABP in the US); displays a verifiable registration seal | Not listed on any regulator's register; may display fake registration badges |
| Prescription requirement | Requires a valid prescription for prescription-only medicines; will not dispense without one | Offers prescription medicines without requiring a prescription, or with a superficial online questionnaire |
| Price | Prices are comparable to other licensed pharmacies; no impossible discounts | Prices significantly below market rate — sometimes 50–80% cheaper — for branded medicines |
| Physical address | Displays a verifiable registered address and phone number; a pharmacist is contactable | Contact details are vague, use a PO box, or are absent; customer service is email-only |
| Medicine packaging | Products arrive in original manufacturer packaging with correct lot numbers and expiry dates | Packaging may look different from the real product; lot numbers may be absent or inconsistent |
| Spam promotion | Found through a search or referral; does not cold-email you offering medicines | Promoted via unsolicited email spam, social media ads, or search ads bypassing branded keywords |
Common red flags
- Offers prescription medicines without requiring a valid prescription
- Prices far below those of licensed pharmacies
- Not listed on your national medicines regulator's register of approved online pharmacies
- No verifiable physical address or contactable pharmacist
- Contacted you via unsolicited email advertising medicines
Verification steps
- Verify the pharmacy's registration on your national regulator's public database — in the UK use the GPhC register, in the US use the NABP VIPPS database
- Look for the official internet pharmacy verification seal and click it to confirm it links to a genuine certification page
- Use your GP or a licensed prescriber to obtain any prescription medicine rather than sourcing it online independently
What not to do
- Do not purchase prescription medicines from a site that does not require a valid prescription
- Do not assume a professional-looking website or low prices mean the medicines are genuine
- Do not provide payment details to an online pharmacy you have not independently verified
A safe response
Close the site and source the medicine through your GP, a local registered pharmacist, or a verified online pharmacy from the regulator's approved list. If you have taken medicines from a suspect source and feel unwell, seek medical advice immediately.
Frequently asked questions
Can I legally buy prescription medicines online without a prescription?
No — in the UK and US, dispensing prescription-only medicines without a valid prescription is illegal for the seller. Any site willing to do so is operating outside the law and cannot be trusted to supply genuine, safe products.
How can I tell if medicines I already received are counterfeit?
Check the packaging against images on the manufacturer's official website. Legitimate medicines have consistent lot numbers, clear expiry dates, and intact tamper-evident seals. If anything looks wrong or you feel unexpected side effects, consult a doctor and report to your medicines regulator.