The National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) receives frequent queries from members of the public asking if a certain Canadian online pharmacy is legitimate. NAPRA does not license pharmacists nor pharmacies and, as such, cannot confirm the legitimacy of specific online pharmacy outlets. We do, however, offer information on two methods consumers can use to verify whether an online pharmacy is legitimate. This information is also available in greater detail on the NAPRA website.

In Canada, pharmacies and/or pharmacy owners are regulated by the pharmacy regulatory authority (PRA) in the province or territory where the business is established. A legitimate pharmacy and/or pharmacy owner – including online pharmacies and owners of online pharmacies – will thus be licensed by the PRA in that province or territory.

Verification Method 1: Through the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy’s Healthcare Merchant Accreditation Program

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) recognizes safe and legitimate healthcare merchants, including online pharmacies, through its Healthcare Merchant Accreditation program. Consumers can use the search tool on the NABP safe.pharmacy website to verify whether an online pharmacy has been reviewed and, if so, if it has been confirmed to be safe to use.

Verification Method 2: With a Canadian Pharmacy Regulatory Authority

The first step is to determine the Canadian business address of the online pharmacy in question (usually found on the home or contact page), where additional information such as a pharmacy licence number, the PRA that provides the licence, contact telephone number, and email address may also be found. Once you have determined the province or territory in which the online pharmacy is located, verify the information on the website of the PRA in that province or territory to find out if the pharmacy is duly licensed.

If the pharmacy is located in Quebec, check to see if the pharmacy owner is licensed by the Ordre des pharmaciens du Québec (OPQ) – i.e., the PRA in Quebec – as the OPQ licenses pharmacy owners rather than pharmacies.

Caution!

A few of the cautions to heed as consumers assess the legitimacy of an online pharmacy are:

• The online pharmacy offers to sell prescription drugs without a valid prescription authorized by a Canadian practitioner. It is illegal for pharmacies to sell prescription drugs without a valid prescription from a practitioner licensed in Canada.

• The online pharmacy does not provide a Canadian business address and telephone number. It is important to make sure that an online pharmacy is linked to a storefront in Canada that meets the requirements of the PRA in the province or territory in which it operates.

• The online pharmacy does not make available a Canadian-licensed pharmacist to answer questions during regular business hours. A legitimate pharmacy will always have a Canadian-licensed pharmacist on duty to answer questions regarding the prescribed drugs, provide instructions and make any recommendations (e.g., how to avoid side effects, etc.) as needed.

Additional Resources

Health Canada offers guidance to help consumers choose a safe online pharmacy, as does the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP) in Canada.